As Day Turns to Night
by Claireness77
Summary: AU: Not able to go out at night because of his appearance, InuYasha's been sheltered and bored his entire life; so, when a classmate suddenly takes an interest in him, he has no idea how to react or if she'll manage to find out what he's been hiding. Soon, he's caught up in lies, forced outings, odd feelings, broken bones, annoying strangers, jealousy, and mysterious circumstances.
1. Borrowed Time

***Note*: Chapters get consistently longer starting from Chapter 11 (over 3,000 words, and anywhere up to 7,000) and are going to stay 4,000 or over. As well, earlier chapters occasionally have small revisions/corrections made to them.**

**Disclaimer:** I do not own InuYasha or any of the characters, although if I did I'd be pretty happy.

**A/N:** (Quick apology for the terrible summary: I'm sorry :P) So this is an idea that's been kicking around in my head for a while, and I finally decided to write it. I suppose I like making life harder for myself. :P Anyway, although a lot of you are probably going to say "Hey, that's like episodes 94 & 95 (or whatever chapters in the manga those are, I haven't read that far yet)," which it totally is, but it's actually based off an idea that I had for an original story about a year ago (before I had seen those episodes) that I never took to the 'pen to paper' stage. I forget how I got inspired to turn that particular concept into a fic, but I did, and immediately after I realized it was the same kind of idea from those episodes. However, this is a fanfic, so it doesn't really matter now does it? :P So anyway, enjoy!

* * *

><p><strong>As Day Turns to Night<strong>

**Chapter 1-Borrowed Time**

He slammed the locker door closed hurriedly, causing a loud bang around the room that was empty of students. The clock continued the steady ticking, which seemed to taunt him, almost as if it were satisfied with the fact that it would soon spell his social death if he didn't get out of there soon. Scratch that, not just social. He was sure that there would be more than a few people with no qualms over murdering him in cold blood if they were to...see. He lobbed a crumpled piece of paper that he had scribbled some useless notes on into a nearby trashcan, not bothering to go find a recycling bin, and then started speed walking towards the exit. He neared the library where he had been studying previously, one of the many checkpoints that got him ever closer to the end of the damn hallway.

Stupid research project, he thought angrily. He'd had to waste his precious time stuck in this place because his teacher, of course, gave him an assignment that could only be completed using the, as he had put it, 'valuable resources our wonderful library has to offer that you should all strive to take advantage of'.

"Keh," he muttered angrily under his breath. "What a tool." The doors on his left swung open just as he began to pass them, revealing a smiling ebony-haired girl and her male companion, the latter clad in a black, high-collared uniform just as InuYasha was, the former in a green and white sailor fuku. They were both laughing, and for a moment didn't even notice him. He hoped it would stay that way and he could hastily leave, but unfortunately, luck was not on his side today.

"Oh, hi, InuYasha!" the girl chirped brightly, raising her hand in a little wave.

"Hey, Kagome," he begrudgingly said back.

"What are you doing here so late? From what I've noticed, you usually try to get out of the building as quick as possible," she bubbled.

"Yeah, well, I had that dumb research project to do. I was, um, actually in the library too," he mumbled looking down at his shoes. The soft rubber flexed against the linoleum floors, and he found himself contemplating once again how much he hated shoes. He thought they were impractical, which confused most people, especially his mother, but they were too damn noisy and made it harder for him to run.

"Oh, really?" Kagome asked, snapping him out of his reverie. "Sorry, I didn't see you. Hojo and I were really focused on our work." She gestured to the boy beside her.

"I was helping her with math!" Hojo proclaimed proudly. "And I must say she's improving a lot!"

"You don't need to make me sound like I'm dumb," she grumbled. InuYasha held in a snicker, and then remembered he had to get the hell out of there.

"Well, it was nice talking to you, but I really have to go now," he said in as polite a voice he could muster, and then began to head towards the doors again.

"Wait!" Kagome called after him. "Are you sure? I mean, Hojo and I were just about to go to WacDonald's, and you're welcome to come with."

InuYasha stopped dead in his tracks. Damn that girl, teasing him like this. There was no way he could go with them, but he didn't want to disappoint her. Never mind the fact that getting out of his house for something other than school would be fantastic. Fuck, did he ever hate this time of year. It wasn't nearly as bad as winter, but the sun still set at a little after six each night, or more precisely, six twenty-three tonight, according to his calendar. There was only about an hour left until then, and that was still cutting it close. He turned and walked back to where she stood.

"Uh, that sounds great, Kagome, but, um, my mother's expecting me at home...soon." Aw, fuck. Could he sound like any more of an idiot?

"Oh, okay. I see," she trailed off, and he could hear the hurt in her voice, probably due to the fact that his excuse wasn't very convincing. He sighed and rubbed the bridge of his nose. Why did he do these things to himself?

"You know, I'm sure she won't mind if I'm a little late. I'll go," he relented, forcing a smile onto his face. How was he supposed to say no to her? She looked like a damn puppy with those big, brown eyes.

"Are you serious?" she exclaimed. He nodded, and Kagome threw her arms around his middle and let out a delighted squeal, a gesture that, frankly, caught him off guard and caused him to blush slightly. She released her grasp then stepped back, looking slightly sheepish. "Sorry," she apologized. "It's just that I never see you out, and, I don't know. I'm just glad you're going to come have some fun with us, instead of being so absorbed in your studies."

InuYasha scoffed internally at this. There wasn't much of a choice to do otherwise, not when you were stuck inside as much as he was. And if he got good marks, then maybe he would have an easier time trying to fix his problem. Otherwise, he was screwed for the rest of his miserable life.

"Well, are we going to go now?" Hojo asked merrily, clasping his hands together and rubbing them excitedly. InuYasha looked at him with an expression of both confusion and disdain. Did nothing faze this guy? From what he had seen when the two of them were together, which was an awful lot, even though Hojo wasn't in the same class, he was more than interested in Kagome, yet he didn't care that she was inviting another guy on what sounded like a date? What a dumb ass.

.~*~.

A quick glance at the clock hanging above the register told him that he had a little more than twenty-five minutes until sunset, which was giving him a sick feeling in his stomach. His half-eaten burger was no longer very appetizing, and he found himself wondering why the hell he had agreed to this in the first place. Kagome and Hojo, on the other hand, looked perfectly happy. Kagome sat on his right, giggling at Hojo, who was across from them and making some absurd hand gestures to go along with his story. InuYasha wasn't really paying attention, but it seemed to be about the guy being an idiot and dropping a whole ton of shit for his family's store everywhere.

"And so then I don't see the wet floor sign, and I'm carrying this really big box just full to the brim with glass jars," he blabbered on.

"So let me guess: you slipped?" Kagome offered.

"Nope. I walked right through the water, didn't slip, made it to the storeroom and put the box safely on a shelf, which then proceeded to fall over, along with everything on it."

"Oh gosh, of course," Kagome clapped with delight. InuYasha just stirred his drink absentmindedly, then looked at the clock again. Only a minute had passed, but it felt like an hour. He sighed, causing the others' empty wrappers on the table to flutter in the breeze.

"Is something wrong," Kagome inquired, concerned.

"What? Uh, no, nothing," he stammered. "I just..."

"You need to get home?" She finished his sentence for him.

"Yeah," InuYasha admitted weakly.

"Well that's fine; we can leave now. We're finished anyway, right, Hojo?"

"Sure are!" Hojo beamed. InuYasha glared at him darkly from beneath his black bangs. The 'everything is just so great!' act was wearing thin. Kagome gathered her things, and the boys did the same. On their way out, InuYasha snuck one more peek at the clock. Twenty minutes. He'd have to hurry.

.~*~.

"So, this is where you live?" Kagome asked as they sidled up to the rather impressive tan, three-story building that bordered somewhere on the line between house and mansion.

"Yep," InuYasha replied, hands in his pockets.

"It's very nice," she told him, "Your family must be pretty well-off." Her eyes widened as that slipped out of her mouth. "Oh, gosh, I didn't mean to say that. I'm so sorry. I really didn't mean any offence by it," she added quickly. He looked at her, amused.

"Why would I be offended? I am aware that we have money, after all. I spend it often enough."

"I just meant for bringing something like that up. Kind of a touchy subject, don't you think?"

"No, not really. At least not to me." He glanced at his watch.

"Shit!" he yelled, then remembered that Kagome was standing beside him. "Shoot, I mean." There were only two minutes until sundown, at least according to the weather report he got all his information from. It wasn't always accurate, though, which meant he was running on borrowed time.

"What is it?" Kagome asked in a panic.

"I need to get inside, now. I had a nice time today, I'll see you tomorrow, okay?" The words came out in a jumbled rush as he ran for the door.

"Um, all right! I enjoyed it too! Maybe we can do this again sometime?" she hollered after him as he ran inside. The door shut, and she was left feeling slightly rejected.

"Cutting it a little close, are we?" Sesshoumaru, leaning on his doorway, questioned him nonchalantly as InuYasha flew up the stairs and into his room.

"Shut up!" he yelled back, and slammed the door. He rested against it, breathing heavily, and let himself slide down it to the floor. InuYasha sat there for a moment, staring at the brilliant hues of pink and yellow that were streaked across the sky, signalling just how lucky he was today. The beauty that people saw in sunsets had always evaded his understanding, due to the foreboding connotations they brought for him.

A sharp pain suddenly wracked his head, forcing his hands up to clench at it in some futile attempt to ease his suffering. He drew them away, however, when his claws started to come in, and instead gripped the floor, adding to the multitude of scratches already lining the hardwood surface. A groan escaped his lips as his normal ears finished making their way to the top of his head and started to change shape. The ears were always the worst part. His teeth clenched together even harder as he felt the canines grow to a frightening size, and his senses heightened, causing the world to become an overwhelming jumble of only sounds and smells since his eyes were still shut from the pain. He made a mental note to tell the neighbours to turn their damn music down when he was presentable. It was then that the transformation stopped, and he breathed a sigh of relief as his body relaxed. InuYasha opened his now golden eyes and picked himself up from the floor, opening his door forcefully and nearly pulling it off its hinges with his increased strength. The rosary that had been hidden beneath his school uniform was partly uncovered and glowing.

"Fuck me," he muttered under his breath as he made his way downstairs.

* * *

><p><strong>AN: **So that's it! Any reviews or thoughts would be appreciated, as I am insanely busy right now and they help keep me going. And yes, I realize that in the series, Yash's transformations don't hurt him (that we know of), but here they do, for a reason which shall be explained if you keep reading! Also, the line about getting people to turn their music down is dedicated to Amy, as she both bothers people with her excessively loud music and gets mad at other people for doing the same. :P


	2. Conversations

****Disclaimer:**** I do not own InuYasha or any of the characters (sorry to burst your bubble).

* * *

><p><strong>As Day Turns to Night<strong>

**Chapter 2-Conversations**

"What the hell did you put in the oden today?" InuYasha grumbled as he sat down at the dinner table.

"A little bit of everything," his mother replied cheerily, setting a bowl down in front of him. He sniffed at it suspiciously. "Honestly, it is not going to kill you. And when have you known me to be anything less than a fabulous cook?" The raven-haired woman smiled at her son, who was blowing excessively on a spoonful of the concoction, and sat down on his left. "So, you got home pretty late today. Any particular reason why, or did you just feel like being reckless?"

"He was with a girl," Sesshoumaru answered for him as he walked into the dining room. His long silver hair trailed behind him, and his cold golden eyes, accented by the indigo crescent moon on his forehead and four purple slashes across his cheeks, effectively conveyed that he couldn't care less.

"How the hell would you know?" InuYasha grunted, still concentrating on the spoon. He was overly cautious about burning his tongue thanks to past experiences.

"I saw the two of you from outside my window," he responded matter-of-factly.

"A girl? Really?" his mother inquired curiously. "Do we know her?"

"I wouldn't suppose so."

"Where did you meet her?"

"More importantly, is she cute?" Inu no Taisho grinned as he appeared suddenly from the other room and took his seat. He currently shared the same golden eyes and long silver hair of his sons, though his was pulled back in a high ponytail. There were also two indigo markings slashed across his cheeks.

"I'm not in the mood to play twenty-fu...fricking-questions," InuYasha quickly corrected himself when he saw his mother's disapproving look.

"You're never in the mood for anything, lately," she complained.

"Not when I'm like this, no. Being a freak isn't exactly a walk in the park."

"I manage," Sesshoumaru pointed out coldly.

"That's cause you don't look like a laboratory experiment gone wrong. Well, actually, you do all the time, but you're used to it then."

"Don't make me kill you," he threatened his half-brother.

"I'd like to see you try," InuYasha snarled.

"Enough," their father ordered from the head of the table. Neither he nor his wife were very concerned, though. Fights were commonplace in their household, and nothing serious had ever happened. Well, nothing _too_ serious.

"So, did you and this mystery girl go on a date?" Izayoi continued, ignoring the brothers' bickering.

"I wouldn't really call it that, since there was another guy there," InuYasha scoffed. His father looked up from his meal in surprise.

"What?"

"Yeah, some kid from Class-B. I ran into him and Kagome outside the library, they asked me if I wanted to come with them to eat, I said sure and so we did. Simple as that. And to make this perfectly clear, it was not a date."

"You seem to be protesting a little too much," Sesshoumaru smirked.

"Screw off," InuYasha shot back.

"So you don't have any plans with this girl in the near future, then?" his mother asked, sounding slightly disappointed.

"Wha-erm, no, I don't think so," InuYasha was a little caught off guard by that question. He thought he had heard her say something about doing that again, but he couldn't be certain. He didn't think that was very likely, though.

.~*~.

He was sure that he'd just lose it one night, just stop trying to restrain himself and punch that damn mirror until it shattered into a million useless pieces. Instead he just stood there, gazing at the mocking reflection that stared back. Sesshoumaru was lucky. Sure, he transformed each night too, and certainly looked different enough, but he didn't have to deal with these damn ears. He stared bitterly as the snowy white dog ears perched on top of his head twitched. _Little buggers_. Being seen after sunset was way less risky for his brother, though Sesshoumaru didn't really take advantage of that fact. He stood there for a moment longer, then tore himself away from the glass and walked over to the desk in the corner of his room. He punched the little moon button on his laptop, then grabbed his backpack and pulled a few assorted textbooks out of it. The computer emitted a small chime as he sorted out his papers, and he hit the enter button to accept the video call, not even bothering to check who it was. He already knew.

"Hey, Miroku."

"Well hello, my dear friend. How goes life? Wonderful, I'm assuming?" the smiling boy greeted him jubilantly. His dark hair was pulled into a short ponytail at the nape of his neck, and he was wearing an odd shiny-purple collared shirt. InuYasha had no idea how Miroku always managed to look like he should have been the sleazy guy in the corner of a seventies nightclub, but he did.

"Shitty, you bastard, and you know it. That's how it always is, and that's how it'll always be."

"But one can hope, can't he? I just long for the day when you lose the martyr act and we can actually have a conversation about the important things in life."

"Women?" Like it would be anything else.

"Exactly. One woman in particular."

InuYasha rolled his eyes. "Not that poor girl you're stalking. I swear, if she's got half a brain she'll call the cops on you," he said while ruffling through a stack of assignments, searching for one in particular.

"Nonsense, she would never do such a thing. Besides, stalking is creepy, which I most definitely am not. Think of this more as...admiring from a distance."

"A.K.A. hiding in the bushes and watching her undress."

"That was a completely different occasion and you know it. Plus, I had good reason to do so. I had received a tip that her house was about to burglarized that night, and I was nobly sacrificing my comfort and well-being in exchange for her safety. If I happened to catch a glimpse of her less than clothed, it was simply the universe's way of thanking me for my kind deeds."

"You're just lucky you didn't get arrested."

"I am, aren't I?" Miroku pondered.

"So what happened with this girl that made you all excited?" InuYasha didn't really care, but he had found that it was best to know Miroku's less-than-savoury activities, just in case intervention was required.

"Well, I walked up to her today and I said 'Sango, will you bear my child?'"

"You didn't."

"I did. She then promptly slapped me across the face."

"Good for her."

"So since that failed, I told her that I was doing a survey to find out the reactions different woman would have when they were asked that question."

"And?"

"She didn't buy that either." Miroku admitted, a downtrodden look on his face.

"I don't think any girl in her right mind would." InuYasha scoffed, still absorbed in his hunt.

"After that, I said I was so sorry if I offended her in any way, and that I really just wanted to talk to her because I knew she was interested in psychology. I said I had a friend who was feeling very depressed..."

Now that got InuYasha's attention. "No." It came out more as a question than a statement, surprise evident in his molten eyes.

"...So much so that he had taken up holing himself in his room every night..."

"There is no way," InuYasha told him, incredulous at what the pervert was insinuating.

"...And that maybe she would be kind enough to talk to him and help him out."

"Miroku, there is no fucking way that you did this to me!"

"I stand by my actions," he replied calmly.

"Are you serious? I can't believe what an absolute idiot you are! Do you realize what would happen if she saw me like this?" InuYasha yelled at the screen.

"Hey, relax. I'm not asking you to come out at night and do a fricking twirl for her. We can just all go and meet somewhere on the weekend or something. The sun will be shining in the sky and everything, I promise."

"You know, I'm not your little tool to pick up girls," InuYasha notified him stubbornly, arms folded across his chest.

"But you're so good at it. You act all moody and sullen, and then they think I'm such a great guy for having a broken friend and putting up with you."

"I am not broken," was his indignant response.

"Whatever. If you just showed off your cute little ears from time to time, I wouldn't have to do this, and we would be rolling in babes," Miroku winked slyly.

"Go. To. Fucking. Hell."

"Jeez, I was just kidding. What crawled up your ass?"

"Nothing. I'm always like this; remember? I'm 'broken'." InuYasha glared at Miroku.

"I don't know; you seem to be in an even fouler mood than usual. Anything eventful happen today?"

"Not particularly. I went to school, sat through classes, ate lunch, sat through more classes, worked on my testimony for when you're tried for molestation, did some dumb project in the library, went out to eat, barely made it back in time then had a nice dinner filled with uncomfortable questions."

"Wait, you went out?" Miroku gaped.

"Yes."

"To eat?"

"Yes."

"After school?"

"Okay, I'm just going to start saying 'y' for yes and 'n' for no," InuYasha said as he went back to his papers. "It'll save me a lot of time."

"You never go out after school!" Miroku exclaimed.

"Maybe I decided to take your advice."

"Has that ever happened before?" Miroku leaned back and tried to remember.

"Not that I can recall, since your advice usually consists of 'Find a really hot chick, and make sure she has an even hotter sister for me'." InuYasha told him dully.

"Those are words to live by, right there," Miroku mused. "But back to the main issue: are you on drugs?"

"Oh, yeah, you've got to pass the time somehow, right?" he responded, not even bothering to look up.

"I am actually about fifty-percent serious. I don't think this has ever happened before."

"Well, it wasn't my fault."

"Wait, wasn't your fault?" The lecher looked at him, puzzled.

"Yes. It was those damn eyes of hers."

Miroku's mouth formed an 'o', and InuYasha gave him his most withering look. "'Hers'. As in...a female?"

"No, an armadillo," InuYasha answered sarcastically.

"A female armadillo?"

"It was a girl, all right, dumb ass!"

"I knew it!" Miroku beamed. Today was turning out to be pretty damn good.

"Gee, how'd you figure it out?" The sarcasm was dripping from InuYasha's voice, but Miroku didn't seem to notice.

"This is amazing! This is revolutionary!"

"This is pathetic."

"Excuse me?" Miroku asked, flabbergasted. "How can taking a girl out for a meal be pathetic?"

"It didn't even count as anything. There was another guy there."

The pervert was not concerned. "Baby-steps, my friend, baby-steps. So, what'd she look like?"

"I don't know. Nice?" Miroku's face fell.

"You are a constant disappointment; do you realize that?"

"I could say the same to you," InuYasha quipped with a cocky arch of his eyebrow.

.~*~.

"You know, you have really long hair for a guy."

"Holy shit!" InuYasha shouted as Kagome popped her head out from behind his locker door.

"Sorry, did I startle you?" she asked.

"I don't think startled is the right word. More like gave me a heart attack. Now, what were you saying about my hair?"

"It's just very long. I don't mean that it's bad, or anything, just rather uncommon to see on a guy."

"Well, I suppose you could call it a family tradition," he replied, not really paying attention.

"Yeah?" she probed further.

"Mhm," InuYasha nodded his head as he grabbed a book from the top shelf. "My father and brother both have long hair; longer than mine, actually."

"You have a brother?" Kagome was very pleased with how her plan was working. She had caught him with his defences down, and was managing to get actual information out of him! It was slightly surprising, since he barely talked in class, but she wasn't going to over-analyze such an improvement.

"Yeah, half-brother. He says he's going to kill me about once a week. Still waiting for him to try though," he smirked.

"Oh," she replied, taken-aback. She had not been expecting that.

"Well, we better get to class," InuYasha said, then realized how presumptuous that sounded and wished he hadn't. He didn't know if walking to class with her was over-stepping his boundaries, though she seemed to have no qualms about invading his space.

"Right, the bell's going to ring soon." Kagome started to make her way out of the locker area, and then turned once she realized he wasn't following her."Coming?"

"Uh, yep." He shut the flimsy metal door, snapped the lock shut then hurried after her. _Oh fuck, _he thought nervously as they walked alongside each other in the hall. _What did I get myself into?_

* * *

><p><strong>AN: **So please feel free to correct me if Hojo is not actually in Class-B. I'm pretty sure that's it, but I couldn't remember what episode that's mentioned in and my usual sources of answers for random questions were not helpful. Amy also gets the video chat dedicated to her, since that was greatly inspired by the conversations we have on Skype/instant messenger. I think a few lines were actually verbatim from conversations I remember. And thank you to MissG2020 for reviewing. I'm glad you liked it. :) So review if you'd like, because I always have stuff that I should be doing, but I am easily swayed to do more writing if you just can't wait to find out what's going on.


	3. Revelations

**Disclaimer:** I do not own InuYasha or any of the characters, nor do I ever think I will.

**A/N:** I've been doing a lot of research for this. Go me. Another thing: I don't know logarithms. They are supposed to be in 3rd Year (12th Grade) in this, so I thought that was suitable, and we're about to get into them soon this year. So please correct me if I managed to mess up that amazingly simple equation (The brackets mean the character is supposed to be a subscript, by the way). And also, this story is post-dated as you will find out. That was intentional, to coincide with the sunset/sunrise times, the Japanese school year, and the lunar cycle. I'm putting a great deal of thought into it. :P

* * *

><p><strong>As Day Turns To Night<strong>

**Chapter 3-Revelations**

The teacher at the front of the room droned on and on about logarithms, his lecture only stopping for brief periods when some unlucky sap was called up to solve a problem on the board. InuYasha wasn't bothering to pay attention; he was about three lessons ahead of everyone else. He had come up with the theory that all the extra practice students did with private tutors or at juku wasn't really worth it. All a person needed to do to succeed was be stuck at home every night with nothing better to do. The motivation he had for doing his work, aside from getting into a top university and all that shit, was staving off boredom, which seemed to be creeping up on him quite a lot.

He flipped to the calendar handily located in the front of his organizer. Penciled in on each day were two times, one the sunrise and the other sunset, according to the weekly weather site he had found to be most accurate. There were also a small, circular symbols representing moons that appeared once a week, and were all shaded to varying extents, ranging from completely black to none at all. It was the last Thursday in April, so he had to flip to the month of May in order to see the next new moon. It was on...Tuesday. Not ideal, like if it was Friday or Saturday, but hell, he would take whatever he got. Who was he to complain about his one night of freedom?

"Mr. Takahashi, could you enlighten us all with the answer?"

"Huh? Oh, sure," InuYasha replied, still slightly out of it. He made his way up to the board then stared at the equation there.

If log(b)B=1 for any base b, then solve log44.

Really? Did they think he was a two year old? With a small sigh of disapproval, he wrote on the board:

log(4)4=1.

He made sure it was extra big for any of the people that still had a hard time comprehending it, and his teacher nodded approvingly.

"Very good, Mr. Takahashi. You may take your seat."

"Hai, Watanabe-sensei." When InuYasha returned to his seat, he heard someone whispering his name. He turned to see Kagome giving him a thumbs up. Not really sure what to do, he just gave her one back, and then picked up his organizer once more, extremely confused.

.~*~.

"You're so good at math, InuYasha," Kagome gushed as she opened her lunch box. She had invited him to come and sit with her and her friends, a group of girls that she was introducing him to now, though it wasn't necessary. "Oh, you know Eri, Yuka, and Ayumi, right?"

"Mhm," he mumbled, not really focusing on her words. He didn't know what to make of the recent events. This girl had maybe talked to him, what, about once a day? And that was only because she was the extremely cheery type who said hi to everyone, even the people who could care less like himself. Now she was suddenly all over him, and he didn't like it. Trust was not InuYasha's thing, and he was sure that the girl had some ulterior motive.

"You should tutor Kagome," Yuka suggested. "Hojo-kun's trying, but I'm sure you'd be a lot more help."

"I used to be good at math," Kagome muttered. "But then we got into this gibberish and now I'm totally lost."

"Well, I suppose I could help," InuYasha offered slowly, still suspicious.

"Really? That's fantastic!" she squealed and hugged him tightly. A blush spread across his face as he sat there, arms raised partway in the air with Kagome clinging to his chest. Her friends giggled, and InuYasha cursed them mentally. Bitches.

"Kagome, um, could you maybe...let go of me now?" he asked, flustered.

"Oh, sure. Sorry about that. I tend to get a little over-excited sometimes," she said with a sheepish smile. _I would never have guessed_, he thought sarcastically.

"Yep, no problem," was his much tamer response. Then, feeling the pit of hunger in his stomach, he remembered what he was supposed to be doing instead of trying to figure out the reason for Kagome's newfound clinginess. In his lunch box he found nothing special, just some fish, rice, vegetables; the usual, but he still inspected it warily. One of the few occasions when he missed his heightened sense was lunch, for he never knew if Sesshoumaru would one day make good on his many threats and try to poison his meal. At least when he was a freak he could sniff that kind of shit out.

"Do you think Hojo-kun's going to like this, Kagome?" Eri asked.

"Well why wouldn't he?" Kagome inquired, surprised. "He'll probably be glad that he doesn't have to spend his afternoons teaching me anymore." Eri rested her head on her hands in frustration and Yuka rolled her eyes, while Ayumi continued eating her lunch, off in her own little world.

"How many times do we have to tell you this? Hojo-kun likes you. Did you hear that? Likes." Eri told her.

"Well I know he likes me, but as a friend..."

"Kagome!" someone shouted from the doorway, and they all turned to look. Hojo stood there, waving merrily.

"Speak of the devil," Kagome smirked. "Well, I better go see him and thank him again for yesterday." She ran off to go see the boy, and immediately Yuka and Eri fixed twin stares upon InuYasha.

"Uhhh..." he said intelligently.

"Please tell me you're not as naïve as Kagome," Yuka commanded.

"What do you mean?" Never in his life had InuYasha been so confused in one day. Well, maybe the first time he had actually been aware of his transformation, but this was a close second.

"I know she doesn't realize that Hojo likes her, but do you realize that Kagome likes you?" If InuYasha had been drinking something, he would have spat it right in their faces. As luck would have it, he was only eating rice, though some of it did get caught in his throat when he gulped from sheer shock. He coughed furiously a few times as the girls looked on, amused.

"You're not serious, are you?" he croaked, his throat still not fully functional.

"No, I'm just saying this for fun," Yuka replied sarcastically. "Of course I'm serious!"

"Well, how the hell do you know?" InuYasha demanded.

"Because she told us," Eri cut in.

"She did?" Ayumi piped up, no longer as interested in her meal. This time it was Eri's turn to roll her eyes.

"Yes, and you were there."

"Oh. I didn't hear her. Wonder why?" Ayumi mused.

"Wait, so she actually said that she likes me?" InuYasha asked, trying to get things straight.

"She said you were cute and had a nice butt," Yuka confessed. "That's close enough." InuYasha looked down at his lunch, which had become a lot more interesting. Shit. This cannot be good.

"Aw, darn, she's coming," Eri hissed.

"Sorry about that," Kagome apologized as she bounded back. "I was just explaining to Hojo that I wouldn't need his tutelage after school any more."

"How'd he take it?" Yuka inquired.

"Actually, he seemed a little sad..." Kagome trailed off. A smug smile appeared on Eri's face.

"Told yah," she gloated. Kagome didn't protest like Eri expected her to, however, because she was too busy staring at the mop of black hair in front of her.

"What's wrong, InuYasha?" He looked up, startled.

"Oh, nothing. I just...left something in my locker," he stammered. "Excuse me." And with that, he rushed out of the room. Kagome eyed her friends suspiciously.

"Now just what did you guys do to scare him off?"

"I don't know," Yuka shrugged, her and the others the picture of innocence.

.~*~.

_Damn girls_, InuYasha thought bitterly as he kicked a rock down the street. _Making me feel like a fool._

"Hey, were you planning on stopping anytime soon?" He looked behind him for the source of the voice, and saw the unmistakable green and white of a girl's uniform from his school.

_Oh, great._

"I was yelling your name for a while there. Did you not hear me?" Kagome asked as she ran up to him, slightly out of breath.

"I suppose not," he admitted, fiddling with the straps on his backpack. "Um, do you want something?"

"Yeah. You took off before I had the chance to ask you if you wanted to help me with math tomorrow after school."

"Oh."

"So do you?" she prodded.

"Sure," he bobbed his head in agreement. They stood there for a moment, neither really certain what to do next. "So is that it?" InuYasha asked rather callously.

"I guess so." She picked at her thumbnail. "Are you going home now?"

"I don't have anywhere else to be," he admitted honestly.

"All right. I'll walk with you then. My house is only a few blocks after yours." Fantastic. Now he'd have to make conversation.

"Er, you live on the old shrine grounds, right?"

"Yep," she replied happily. "If you ever meet my grandfather he'll tell you its long and colourful history, which is incredibly boring and I advise you try to avoid at all costs."

"Noted," he smirked. After that, it was silence. The normally chatty Kagome seemed to be at a loss for words, and while he enjoyed interacting as little as possible, especially with the people at school, he could tell that they both felt incredibly awkward and wished she'd say something just for the hell of it. But she didn't. Neither of them did until they came to InuYasha's house.

"Well, this is my stop," he told her.

"Stop?" Kagome smiled.

"You got what I meant."

"I did. I just wanted to bug you. So, tomorrow after school?"

"Yeah."

"And maybe we can do something after?" His eyes widened. _After?_ Before he even had a chance to respond someone behind him interrupted him.

"Did you bring your little girlfriend home again, InuYasha?" Sesshoumaru said tauntingly, coming as close as he ever would to a jeer. InuYasha scowled.

"Oh, are you InuYasha's brother?" Kagome chirped excitedly. "Or half-brother, I mean." InuYasha looked surprised. She remembered that?

"I am indeed, though it pains me to say it. Sesshoumaru," he offered, extending a hand.

"Kagome," she said back, trying to make as good of an impression as possible. It was rather hard, though, since she was faced with such an imposing figure. Sesshoumaru was extremely tall, with long, elegant limbs and even longer black hair. His features were well defined, and he exuded an air of superiority that made her wish her shoes weren't so scuffed.

"It's a pleasure to meet you, Kagome. I can already tell that you are much too good for my half-wit of a half-brother. I assume he has not even been courteous enough to invite you inside, but luckily, I have manners. Would you like to come in?" InuYasha turned so he was facing away from Kagome and frantically started mouthing the word 'no', but Sesshoumaru just ignored him.

"Oh, well thank you very much, but I really have to be going," she declined.

"How disappointing. Another time then?"

"Well, InuYasha's helping me study for math after school tomorrow..." Kagome thought aloud.

"Why not just come over here then? It would be no trouble at all."

"InuYasha? Would that be all right?"

"Erm, sure," he replied slowly.

"Okay! See you tomorrow then, InuYasha. And nice to meet you, Sesshoumaru," she waved as she walked away. The brothers waved, one much more enthusiastically than the other did.

"You are pure evil; did you know that?"

"I was aware, yes," Sesshoumaru smirked.

* * *

><p><strong>AN:** Bonus points to me for using tutelage in a sentence. :P And I've kind of made everyone a little OOC in this, haven't I? That's mostly intentional though, due to the different environment that everyone would have been living in. I also find the idea of InuYasha being smart slightly amusing. :P So now, on to thank you's! Can I just say this: wow. I was not expecting this many reviews. I know it's piddly compared to the amount some people get, but I'm just starting out with fanfiction so reviews mean a lot to me. And now, individual thanks to:

MissG2020, Lynn-forever-01, Lionsheart13771, LiveInColor, and chakira16.

Once again a big thanks to everyone who reviewed, and I hope to receive many more. :D


	4. Nuisances

**Disclaimer:** I am never going to own InuYasha or any of the characters (Sad, ain't it?).

**A/N: **Well, I've gotten a fair amount of stuff done for English, so my reward was getting to write/edit this. Yay for me! :D It looks long, but it's actually a little shorter than usual. Oh well. I'll try to make the next one longer. Also, you'll probably notice that I use the honorifics (things like san, kun, ect.) randomly. Yeah, it's usually based on my mood and also how it sounds. InuYasha-kun, now that just sounds odd. :P Takes away a little of his bad-assedness, you know? ;)

* * *

><p><strong>As Day Turns to Night<strong>

**Chapter 4-Nuisances**

The walk to his house was considerably less awkward that day, at least in one respect. It almost seemed like Kagome had prepared questions in advance to avoid the same silence that'd befallen them previously. InuYasha didn't exactly appreciate it, though.

"So what's your favourite number?" she asked.

"Twenty-seven," InuYasha replied, a bored look in his eyes.

"What do you like to eat?"

"Anything that isn't good for me."

"Favourite animal?" He had to think for a moment about that one.

"Anything but a dog. A cat. I like cats," he decided.

"Really? I have a cat. His name's Buyo and he's super cute!" she gushed.

"Swell," he responded rather dully.

"What'd you like to do in your free time?"

"Work, work, and more work." Kami, was she ever going to shut up?

"That's it?" Her expression changed to one of surprise then.

"Yep." The ground was unusually interesting to him today.

"No clubs? Sports? Anything like that?"

"Nope." _That was a nice rock._

"Oh. Do you like movies?" Kagome tried to change the subject.

"Not particularly." _Oh, and a bug._

"Oh. So, really? I mean, all you do is school work?"

"Well, on occasion I hang out with a pervert." InuYasha hoped that that would shut her up, but it didn't.

"What?"

"Yep. I like to think of it as community service." He was more involved in the conversation now, but there still were a lot of nice rocks around.

"...How is that community service?" Kagome inquired, extremely confused.

"I rehabilitate him and keep women safe from his happy hands at the same time." Well, sometimes he kept them safe, but Miroku was pretty damn persistent.

"Okay then."

"Mhm."

"Um, do you know what you want to do after you graduate?" She was grasping at straws then.

"Go to university and get a degree so I can have a high-paying job that I don't really care about," he told her honestly.

"Oh. You're quite the cynic, aren't you?"

"That's as good a word as any." By this point, they were walking up his drive, and InuYasha was shocked, showing more emotion than he had all day, when he saw the door opening to reveal his brother standing smugly on the other side, though he really should have expected as much.

"Well, hello. If it isn't the two lovebirds," Kagome giggled nervously at that while InuYasha just scowled. "Come on in, why don't you? Time stops for no one, especially here, and every second of daylight is precious." Sesshoumaru winked at InuYasha as he ushered Kagome through the door.

"Do you really have nothing better to do?" InuYasha hissed through clenched teeth, "I thought you had classes or something? Expensive ones."

"Ah, yes, but they can wait. This is much more interesting. Oh, Izayoi!" he called and InuYasha froze.

"Yes?" came the reply from the living room.

"InuYasha and his little friend are home."

"Oh, really?" was her excited response as she walked into the genkan.

"Jeez, watch yourself," InuYasha reprimanded Kagome as he caught her arm and saved her from a nasty fall. She had decided to take her shoes off while still standing, but her backpack had pulled her to one side and that coupled with balancing on only one leg had spelled a slight disaster.

"Thanks," she told him gratefully. "I'm a bit of a klutz."

"I never would have known," he muttered, receiving a sharp look from his mother.

"Hi, Kagome, I'm InuYasha's mother," Izayoi introduced herself.

"Hello, Takahashi-san," Kagome chirped while bowing. "It's a pleasure to meet you."

"Likewise," she smiled. "So, I understand InuYasha is helping you with math?"

"Yes, he is. He's really smart."

"As he should be. He spends enough time up in his room studying."

"Can we just go now, please?" InuYasha pleaded desperately. He wanted to get out of there before it became anymore awkward.

"Certainly, although it wouldn't hurt you to have a little more patience," Izayoi chastised her son.

"Fine. We'll be in my room." InuYasha started trudging up the stairs, and Kagome, though a little unsure, followed.

"Leave the door open," Sesshoumaru reminded them. "We don't want any hanky-panky, now do we?"

"Shut up!" InuYasha snapped. It had just become a whole hell of a lot more awkward.

.~*~.

"You don't like me very much, do you?" InuYasha looked up from his work, startled by Kagome's words.

"What?"

"You're just looking at the clock an awful lot and not really talking. I'm kind of getting the feeling that you don't want me here." _How'd you guess?_ he thought sarcastically.

"No, that's not it at all."

"Then what's the problem?" Kagome asked him with a quizzical look on her face.

"Only forty-three minutes," he told her absentmindedly, glancing at his alarm clock again.

"What?" Kagome asked, looking at InuYasha as if he'd grown another head.

"Hmm?"

"Forty-three minutes until what?"

"Oh, um, forty-three minutes until you have to, well...go," he stammered, realizing what he had said.

"Really? But I thought we were going to do something after," she objected, "It is Friday. Don't you want to get out?"

"I have no desire to 'get out'," he remarked.

"Come on, it'll be fun. I know you said you don't like movies, but there are some good ones out right now."

"Thank you, but no."

"It doesn't have to be a movie. We could...go to the park?" she suggested rather lamely.

"The park? At night?" InuYasha raised his eyebrow.

"Erm, maybe not. We could get something to eat?"

"I have perfectly good food right here, in my house," he retorted.

"But that's no fun!" she protested.

"I'm sorry, but nothing is happening tonight. Do you hear me? Nothing." InuYasha wore an expression that effectively conveyed that it wasn't up for discussion, but Kagome wasn't going to drop it without putting up a fight.

"Give me one good reason why," she demanded, hands on her hips in an effort to make herself look more imposing and authoritative.

"You don't need one."

"Yes I do. It's the weekend; so why can you not go do something for once?" Kagome persisted.

"Why are you suddenly so obsessed with my life? What does it mean to you?" he raised his voice and slammed his textbook shut at the same time.

"Because you look so unhappy, and I hate seeing it!" InuYasha paused for a moment.

"What?"

"I said, I don't want to see you like this," she confessed. "We've been going to the same school for two years now, and you've always just looked so...depressed. I decided that maybe it was time I did something about it."

"Kagome, that's..." he ran his hand through his hair, collecting his thoughts, "nice, but I really...it's just...you hanging around me like this is not going to help anything. I'm...I'm not like this because of choice. I'm like this out of necessity."

"Why? What could be so important that you're willing to miss out on so much because of it?" InuYasha laughed, dryly and without humour.

"Something that you would never expect."

"Try me," she shot back obstinately.

"Sorry, but I'm going to have to decline on that offer. I admire your determination, though. Now are we going to get back to math? There are only another..." InuYasha checked the clock again, "thirty-nine minutes left."

"You keep a tight schedule, don't you?" she muttered.

"As I said, out of necessity."

.~*~.

InuYasha sighed as he shut the door, glad that Kagome was finally gone. She had actually threatened to stay for an extra five minutes because, as she had put it, 'wasn't going to have her life dictated by some schedule'. In response, he had threatened her with the prospect of meeting his father if she stuck around any longer, who, he assured her, was worse than his mother and brother combined, which was not a lie. Although by the looks of it, she was about to run into him on the walk. _He's rather late_, InuYasha thought suspiciously.

"Trouble in paradise?" Sesshoumaru commented as he made his way back upstairs.

"Bite me."

"Isn't that a little barbaric? I'm sure that arsenic will suffice. Or perhaps a well-aimed poison dart," he mused. "But that will have to wait for right now. You have a phone call." Sesshoumaru held out the device to him.

"From who?"

"Your lecherous compatriot, of course."

"Why the hell is he calling now?" InuYasha grumbled.

"I wouldn't know. I am not clairvoyant." InuYasha snatched the phone from his brother's outstretched hand and stomped into his room. "Savage," Sesshoumaru muttered.

"Miroku, why the fuck are you calling now?" InuYasha barked as he slammed his door shut.

"Yes, I realize it's bad timing, but I'm just so excited! Our dear Miss Sango agreed to meet with me tomorrow!" Miroku exclaimed gleefully.

"Fantastic. I'm hanging up now."

"Wait!"

"What?" InuYasha snapped. His head was beginning to throb and he lay down on his bed to try to quell some of his body's complaints. Downstairs he could hear the front door being shut rather forcefully, and assumed that his father had finally figured out getting his ass inside would be a bright idea.

"You need to be there as well."

"There is...no fucking way...I am doing that," he panted between groans. Damn, it was getting worse. Did the pervert not think these kinds of things through?

"All right, now I understand that you're in pain and this may not be the best time to ask, but I beg you to not let the circumstances cloud your judgement," Miroku implored.

"I wouldn't agree...even if it didn't feel...like my head was being...stabbed full of daggers," he growled.

"Well, I'm going to go now, let you get through this, and you call me back when you're feeling better. Okay, buddy?"

"Screw...you." InuYasha hung up.

* * *

><p><strong>AN: **I added a little extra Sess/Inu there at the end because you all seem to love it so much. XD I also set it up for a little Mir/San action next chapter which is always good. So on to thank you's! Once again, you guys are amazing. I love reading all your reviews; they are awesome and they make me laugh. :D

chakira16, Lionsheart13771, AwaitingMyBlackKnight, SailorKagome, MissG2020, and CookieNet.

So thanks again to all my reviewers, and I hope everyone reads, enjoys, reviews, and all that good stuff. :)


	5. Fun In the Sun

**Disclaimer:** I don't own InuYasha or any of the characters, except for maybe in an alternate universe.

**A/N:** As promised, it's a longer chapter! Yay, I delivered! :P

* * *

><p><strong>As Day Turns to Night<strong>

**Chapter 5-Fun In the Sun**

"Isn't today a beautiful day? Birds are singing, the sun is shining, children are playing." Miroku swept his arm across picturesque setting before them. On their right was a botanical garden filled with cherry trees, on their left an impressively large pond, and in front was the walkway that would lead them down to the sports centre where Miroku had said they were going to be playing tennis. "How could it get any better?"

"If I was inside watching it from my window," InuYasha grumbled.

"Are you going to be a downer all day, because if so then that's fantastic! It will really impress Miss Sango," he chattered joyfully as they walked.

"You are a terrible person."

"I am offended! I am simply making the best of your 'woe-is-me' attitude," Miroku replied indignantly, swinging his racket.

"You're taking advantage of this girl, not to mention me."

"I'm sorry, my friend, but you are very misinformed. Miss Sango would not allow herself to be taken advantage of by anyone. That is what makes her so remarkable."

"Well then how the hell do you expect to get anywhere with her?" InuYasha scoffed. "The only way you get girls is by taking advantage of them."

"Now that is not true, and you know it. I win them over with my irresistible wit and charm." Miroku smiled widely as if to demonstrate this.

"Since when is grabbing a girl's ass considered charming? And would you stop swinging that thing around? You're going to hit someone!" InuYasha yelped as he narrowly missed a good blow to the head.

"Whoops, sorry. Just warming up my arm."

"Well, wait until we get to the damn courts." They strode along silently for a while until a thought popped into InuYasha's head. "Miroku..."

"Yes?"

"If there are two of us, then how are we going to play with one girl?" he asked as they neared the courts.

"Oh, Miss Sango said she was bringing along a friend. Who knows, maybe we'll set you two up together," he nudged InuYasha's shoulder and winked.

"I do not need that, thank you. One is enough." Miroku gasped.

"Does that mean what I think it means?"

"No," InuYasha responded flatly.

"It does. That means you already have a lady of your own!"

"I do not!" he broke in. "She's annoying and clingy and a klutz! Why the hell would I want to be with her?"

"Someone's in denial," Miroku sang.

"Would you just shut up?"

"Maybe I'll just talk to that lovely woman over there, as I'm sure she'll provide me with a much nicer conversation than you. Oh, Sango!" he called, and ran up ahead to where two dark haired girls were waiting. One waved at the excited pervert, while the other appeared to trip as she ran over towards the net. The waving girl turned, realizing that her friend was in need of assistance, and helped her up. InuYasha decided to take his time making his way over to the group. He was not looking forward to this, and any extra seconds he could waste as he meandered along would be well worth it. As he drew nearer, he could hear Miroku introducing himself to the pair.

"...Of course I already know you, Miss Sango, but I do not know the name of your striking companion here."

"Higurashi Kagome," the girl offered, "but you can just call me Kagome." InuYasha stopped dead in his tracks. There was no fucking way that she had just said that.

"Well, Miss Kagome, it is a pleasure to make your acquaintance. I am Sasaki Miroku, but you can just call me Miroku," he winked. "And may I just say that it is an honour to be in the presence of two such dazzling beauties on a day as fine as this. I'm sure my friend would say the same if he deigned us with his presence. InuYasha!" Miroku yelled back at the figure standing on the path.

"Wait-did you say InuYasha?" Kagome asked, surprised.

"Indeed I did; and yes, I realize it is a bit of an odd name."

"I know him!" she blurted.

"Really?" Miroku and Sango exclaimed at the same time.

"Yeah, he's in the same class as me. I wasn't expecting to see him out, though. He kind of stood me up last night."

"Wait-you aren't the girl that he's been talking about, are you?"

"He's been talking about me?" Kagome inquired, confused.

"I bet you are." A devilish grin took over Miroku's face, and he practically sprinted over to where InuYasha was frozen to the spot.

"There is no way that I am going over there."

"Oh, I think you are." Miroku grabbed him by the arm and started dragging him to the girls.

"Hey, what the hell do you think you're doing?" InuYasha sputtered as he dug his feet into the ground in an attempt to slow Miroku's progress.

"I am making you actually do something good for yourself. You seeing this girl: good. You standing there looking like a moron: not good."

"No way! I'm tired of being everyone's charity case. For the last time, I don't need anyone's help!"

"Well too bad, 'cause you're getting it."

"InuYasha!" Kagome popped up in front of them.

"Oh, hi, Kagome..." he said slowly and stopped fighting with Miroku.

"What are you doing here? I thought you didn't 'get out'?" she smirked.

"I don't. I was forced here against my will."

"Oh, too bad. But now that you're here, are you going to play? It's not really possible without you," she smiled, tapping his shoulder with her racket.

"I suppose so," he mumbled.

"Great!" she chirped. "Hey, you tied your hair back," she commented as they walked along.

"Yeah..."

"It looks cute," Kagome said, and tapped him with her racket again, except this time her target was his butt. "I like your tennis outfit, too." Miroku stifled his laughter while InuYasha went beet red.

"Let me go now!" he hissed in Miroku's ear. "She's crazy!"

"You're not getting off that easy," the pervert chuckled.

.~*~.

"So, teams?" Miroku asked when they were gathered on the court.

"Well, I was thinking Kagome and I would go together," Sango suggested.

"But Sango, then I would have to compete against you, and I could never do that," Miroku told her sweetly.

"No worries, I'll go with InuYasha," Kagome said.

"You better keep your hands away from me, wench," he warned.

"Excuse me? I am not a 'wench'," she informed him angrily.

"Keh. Just don't lose this game for me, got it?"

"Aren't they such a cute couple?" Miroku observed from the other side of the court. "Although not so much as us."

"You keep your hands away from me, too!" Sango commanded as they headed for her backside.

"I'll try, but they have a mind of their own, and sometimes they just can't be helped."

"Just serve the ball already," InuYasha called impatiently.

"Your wish is my command," Miroku answered, and lobbed the ball in the air, smacking it over into InuYasha's court as it came back down to earth.

"Come on, pervert!" he shouted and smacked it back. "You can do better than that!" Miroku stretched his arm out and leapt but missed, causing him to have to stumble after the ball while Sango rolled her eyes. InuYasha smiled smugly, relishing his small amount of payback.

"He's not the pervert that you mentioned the other day, is he?" Kagome wondered.

"What?" InuYasha turned toward her. She was like a fucking elephant the way she remembered things. "Oh, yeah, he is. I advise you to watch yourself around him."

"Noted."

.~*~.

"Hah! In your face, Miroku!" Kagome cheered as he missed the ball once more, thanks to her devastating forehand. InuYasha looked at her, bemused.

"You're getting rather into this, aren't you?"

"So are you," she pointed out.

"Yeah, but I'm competitive. You don't really seem like the type to be yelling at some poor pervert who can't play without tripping over his shoelaces. Especially when he's trying to impress a girl." He motioned to Miroku with his racket.

"I don't think I'm going to hurt his chances with Sango. He's already done that for himself," she laughed. Miroku had been sidling over to Sango all morning and making a move for her behind, which had earned him a few good slaps to the face. She was fuming, but he wasn't stopping anytime soon, which was evident when he just happened to kick the ball towards her rear as he tried to pick it up.

"Hey, are you two ready to give up, or do we have to pound you a few more times?" Kagome called.

"If you beg for mercy we just might spare you," InuYasha added.

"I'll beg, plead, whatever; just so long as you get me away from this creep!" Sango yelped as Miroku's hand crept where it shouldn't have.

.~*~.

"I scream, you scream, we all scream for ice cream!" Kagome sang as they walked along the pathway.

"I'm assuming you want ice cream?" InuYasha questioned her unnecessarily.

"How'd you guess?" she giggled.

"We haven't even had lunch yet," Sango complained.

"The ice cream will be our lunch, and InuYasha's paying!" she yelled and started running up to the stand, dragging him along with her.

"I vote for Miroku to pay," Sango stated as they caught up to the others who were browsing through the various flavours available.

"I thought you were all about independence, Sango? Doesn't having Miroku pay kind of go against your code?" Kagome teased.

"It has nothing to do with me not being able to pay. He just owes it to me after what he's been doing all morning."

"And I will gladly oblige, Miss Sango," Miroku said while pulling out his wallet.

"That's fine with me," InuYasha concurred.

.~*~.

"Give me a bite," Kagome demanded.

"Excuse me?" InuYasha asked, his eyebrow arched.

"Sorry, give me a bite, please," she corrected herself.

"I wasn't worried about you being polite; I just don't want your spit all over my food."

"Ew, gross," Kagome squealed. "I wouldn't do that. You're just being stingy."

"No, I'm concerned for our health."

"Fine then," she said, and swooped her finger into his ice cream, taking a big glob and popping it into her mouth.

"Hey!" InuYasha protested.

"What? I didn't get any spit on it, now did I?" As a response, InuYasha grabbed her cone, ate about half of it in one bite then handed it back to her. Kagome gaped.

"You are so buying me a new one!" she ordered him.

"That's fine. I made my point," he grinned.

"They're just like children, aren't they?" Miroku commented to Sango on the other side of the picnic table.

"Mhm, except with worse manners," she agreed. "And keep your hands where I can see them."

.~*~.

"You know, they're supposed to have fireworks here on Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday for Golden Week," Kagome remarked as they strolled through the cherry trees. They were in full bloom, and the ground below them was littered with petals; the same went for their hair. Miroku and Sango were off somewhere else in the garden. It probably wasn't a good idea to leave them too long, but Kagome was sure that Sango could handle herself.

"I actually forgot about that until yesterday," InuYasha confessed sheepishly.

"Really? How could you forget?" she asked, amused.

"I don't know. A lot on my mind, I suppose."

"Well, do you want to come see the fireworks on one of those days?"

"You know, Tuesday would actually be perfect," he nodded.

"Really?" Kagome squeaked excitedly.

"Really," InuYasha answered.

"Gosh, that's awesome. I thought I was never going to get you out," she divulged. "Do you know how shocked I was to see you today?"

"Pretty shocked, I bet."

"Yeah. But I'm glad you came. I had a good time."

"I hate to admit this, but I did too," he laughed.

"See, interacting with other people isn't so bad," she teased.

"Hey, I interact plenty. I just try to avoid potentially disastrous situations, which is why I need to find that lecher and get out of here."

"Already? It's only three-thirty, though," Kagome said disappointedly, looking at her watch.

"Yeah, well we have to have time to take the line home, and I always like to leave a bit of a buffer zone for the unexpected," InuYasha replied.

"What, are you going to turn into a pumpkin if you don't get home before dark?"

"Not quite," he smirked.

.~*~.

"Sango, I had a wonderful time with you today."

"I would have had a wonderful time, were it not for the near constant massages you were administering to my backside." She shot him a dirty look.

"Just making sure it wasn't getting sore," Miroku winked.

"Do you honestly expect me to believe that?" Sango scoffed.

"Of course not, Sango, it was merely a joke. I have a much higher opinion of you than to actually think you would buy such an obvious lie. I am still hopeful, however, that we can do this again sometime."

"Miroku...I'm happy that we got your friend out of his house today, and Kagome really seems to like him, but I just don't see a future for us."

"Please, Miss Sango, please," Miroku got down onto his knees and begged. "Can you find it in your wonderfully kind heart to give me another chance?" She mulled the prospect over for a moment.

"All right," she relented. "But if we go on a date again, you have to promise that you'll keep your happy hands away."

"Thank you, from the deepest depths of my soul!" Miroku exclaimed, getting up and embracing her, his palm cupping her buttocks. "I promise that there will be no touching of your lovely rear whatsoever next time."

"Get your hands off of me!" she yelled and pushed him away.

"You didn't say anything about today," he beamed.

* * *

><p><strong>AN:** :O Major plot development disguised as fluff, people! What could be better? ;) Now thank you's go to:

Lionsheart13771, chakira16, MissG2020, and AwaitingMyBlackNight.

So major thanks to all my fantastic reviewers, and as always read, enjoy, review, ect. :)


	6. Payback

**Disclaimer:** I do not own InuYasha or any of the characters. There, are you happy now? *Runs off crying*

* * *

><p><strong>As Day Turns to Night<strong>

**Chapter 6-Payback**

"Ah, there you are, dear brother. I'm glad to see you're up and dressed appropriately." InuYasha told Sesshoumaru blithely as he walked out of the bathroom. Sesshoumaru appraised his sibling suspiciously. He was dressed in a plain black suit that was almost the same shade as his hair, and not un-similar in style to Sesshoumaru's own gray one. In his constantly calculating mind, it was cause for concern.

"It's eight-thirty in the morning...on a Sunday. Why are you up? You usually never see the light of day until noon," he said slowly, looking at his watch.

"But I had to get up extra early so we could go out to eat!" InuYasha told him excitedly.

"We're going out to eat?" Sesshoumaru asked doubtfully.

"That's right. Guess where?" InuYasha grinned.

"I don't know. Somewhere that caters to your unique level of boorishness?" He started to stalk off.

"Hah, no," he laughed, still smiling. "We're going to Hanashoubu." Sesshoumaru stopped, paused for a moment, and then turned toward InuYasha.

"Hanashoubu?"

"The one and only."

"You did this on purpose," Sesshoumaru scowled.

"Maybe so, but you deserved it," InuYasha replied, looking rather pleased with himself.

"I am not going."

"Oh come on, don't be a baby. Besides, I already alerted the folks, and they think it's a fabulous idea."

"You just thought of everything, didn't you?" he retorted.

"I did. Now that they know, there's no way you're getting out of it. It's 'family-bonding'," InuYasha made air quotes as he talked. "It's good for us. Helps us connect."

"I thought you would rather connect your ass to the couch," Sesshoumaru muttered dryly.

"Not today, Sesshoumaru, because today is payback time," he declared forebodingly.

.~*~.

"I cannot believe that I am sitting here right now," Sesshoumaru grumbled.

"Ooh, the gyoza sounds good," InuYasha mused happily, revelling in his brother's misery. "What do you think, Mom?"

"Mhm, we'll have to try that. Is that our waitress I see over there?" she asked, gesturing towards the perky onyx-haired girl with a small ponytail who was almost bouncing toward them through the elegant and extremely crowded restaurant.

"It most certainly is," InuYasha grinned. Sesshoumaru was giving him a look that conjured to his mind images of poisoned bento and 'accidental' falls, but he didn't care. This was worth it.

"Ohayou gozaimasu," the girl chirped cheerily as she arrived at their table and began setting down cups of tea. "My name is Rin, and I'll be your server today. Are you ready to order, or should I give you a few more minutes?"

"I believe we've all decided," Inu no Taisho nodded as he looked around the table. "I'll have the taku-su, the tempura soba, and the kinpira-gobo, along with the miso soup and rice."

"I will have the same, except change the taku-su to the gyoza, and the tempura soba to the tanuki soba," Izayoi told her pleasantly.

"I'll take the gyoza and the yaki-nasu. Also, the fish in that tank look especially delicious. Could you tell me what kinds are in there?" InuYasha requested. Rin looked rather startled.

"Uh, I'm sorry, but those aren't to eat. They're just decorative."

"Oh," InuYasha said, putout. "Well, just get me the ramen instead then." Rin bobbed her head in response and jotted it down on her notepad.

"And you, Sesshoumaru?" Inu no Taisho looked at his son, bemused that the waitress knew his name.

"Just the chikara udon and the kinpira-gobo," he ordered stonily. She smiled and clicked her pen in.

"Excellent choices. And I'll make sure your food is extra special, Sesshoumaru," she winked and left.

"Who was that?" Inu no Taisho questioned curiously, a sly expression on his face.

"Simply a girl from the university, and nothing more."

"Well, I don't buy that, at least not from the way she acted," he chuckled.

"It's the truth," he stated, "And I do not care if you choose to believe it or not."

"The boys are turning into a couple of dogs," Inu no Taisho stage-whispered to his wife conspiratorially. InuYasha's eye twitched at this, and Sesshoumaru somehow managed to grow even more bitter.

.~*~.

"So is everyone enjoying their meal?" Rin inquired.

"Delicious, my dear, thank you," Izayoi answered for everyone, as the others were in mid-bite and not stopping anytime soon. Well, everyone except for Sesshoumaru, who was delicately picking at his meal.

"Sesshoumaru, do you not like yours?" He gazed up at Rin blankly.

"No, it is satisfactory. I am just not a brute like some, who shall remain nameless," he replied with a pointed glare at his brother, who was slurping down his noodles in delight and chose to ignore him.

"Oh, well, good then," she beamed. "So, let me know when you're done and I'll bring the check." She flounced away and Sesshoumaru narrowed his eyes as InuYasha stopped eating for a brief moment to gloat.

"Having fun yet?" he sneered.

.~*~.

Rin handed the receipt over to Inu no Taisho happily at the counter and beckoned for him to come closer. She murmured something that was inaudible to the others, but judging by his reaction it was good news, at least to him. They made their way out of the restaurant before Inu no Taisho handed the slip of paper over to Sesshoumaru, who stared at it disdainfully, confused.

"I'm supposed to give that to you," he explained. Sesshoumaru examined the paper as he walked, inspecting the front of it carefully, searching for any significance. After about a minute he turned it over, still thoroughly puzzled, then saw what was on the back and stopped dead in his tracks.

"Hey, did you forget how to move those prissy little feet of yours?" InuYasha called once he noticed that his half-brother was no longer following them. Not getting a response, he stomped over and demanded to know what the hold up was. Sesshoumaru just continued staring at the slip, which InuYasha snatched out of his hand. He could barely contain himself once he did. Written on the back in an obviously feminine manner was a phone number, surrounded by an enormous pink heart.

"Are you two coming?" InuYasha motioned his parents over, laughing furiously.

"Sesshoumaru got way more than he bargained for," he chortled and showed them the receipt.

.~*~.

"That lecher left a sleazy voicemail on my answering machine," Sango complained to Kagome as she lay on her bed, filing her nails.

"What did it say?" Kagome asked absentmindedly on the other end of the phone, skimming through her notes for the answer to her next homework question.

"'Hello, Sango, it is I, Miroku. I just wanted to inform you once again that I had a lovely time yesterday, and I am unduly delighted that you were able to look past my advances, which I realize in hindsight were extremely inappropriate and will most certainly not happen again. I was just so caught up in your beauty at the time that I could not see how uncomfortable that would make you, but I promise that I will restrain myself next time, though it will be a challenge. However, I shall persevere! Now speaking of next time: when might that be, exactly? I am hoping as soon as possible, for being deprived of your gorgeous face for too long is like a plant trying to live without the glorious sun. I look forward to your call, and long for it so I can hear your magnificent voice again'."

"Aw, that's sweet," Kagome cooed.

"It is not; it's downright despicable!" Sango protested.

"How?"

"He thinks he can just use a bunch of compliments and pretty words to win me over, but it's not happening! I should phone him right now and tell him that. I bet he won't be so happy to hear my 'magnificent voice' then," she scoffed.

"Oh, come on, Sango, you're flattered and you know it."

"I do not know it," she replied and started filing more furiously. "So, what about your guy? Are you planning on 'studying' with him anytime soon?" Sango teased.

"We do actually study," Kagome informed her indignantly. "It's not just some lame excuse. I really don't get this stuff. I'm going to fail soon," she whined miserably and planted her face into her covers.

"Are you joking? You're in a school-for-geniuses, apparently struggling, but I bet you're still getting an 'A', while I'm stuck with the rabble and the pervert, just getting by."

"Well, it's low 'A'," she moaned, muffled by her duvet. Sango rolled her eyes.

"Anyway, enough with the pity-fest. Are you excited for your date on Tuesday?"

"Very," Kagome's demeanour suddenly changed as she lifted her head up and smiled.

"It didn't take you long to work your magic, did it? From what Miroku had told me about him I thought he would have been a much harder egg to crack."

"I just won him over with my natural charm and effervescent personality," she bragged.

"Of course you did," Sango smirked, "So, any idea about what you're going to wear? I don't think your school uniform will cut it."

"I wouldn't be surprised if he showed up in his," Kagome chuckled. "But I have plenty of clothes. I'm sure I'll figure something out."

"Do you want to hear my suggestion?" she asked.

"Please, enlighten me with your wisdom, oh great Sango."

"That was much more sarcasm than was needed. That aside, I think you should go with your sapphire top, the one with the scoop neck and the cap sleeves, and that off-white skirt I made you buy that isn't too short but isn't too long. Oh, and for shoes go with your cork sandals. Those are cute."

"Thanks for the input," Kagome replied dryly.

"No problem. I realize how helpless you can be when it comes to these kinds of things."

"I am not helpless," she told her firmly, offended.

"I was kidding, Kagome. No need to freak out."

"I wasn't freaking out. I was just being...passionate."

"Sure you were," Sango humoured her.

* * *

><p><strong>AN:** Hanashoubu means Iris. I just thought it was fitting that Rin work at a restaurant named after a flower. ;) So yarr, now it be thank you time (Pirate? No? Just thought I'd change it up a little...):

Lionsheart13771, MissG2020, chakira16, Cookienet, Merani,

ShahzysAngelette- Oh, I'm sure serious Miroku will pop up somewhere when things start getting a little more dramatic, but until then he's just his happy self. :P I have to say that I enjoy writing him that way. And InuYasha is in his human form during the day and his hanyou form during the night. I'm really sorry if I didn't make that clear. Description isn't my strong suit, though I try, but I'm a dialog girl. :),

and LiveInColor.

So, wow, that was my most reviews yet for a chapter. I'd love to be saying that next time too (and the times after that), so please read, enjoy, and review if you have anything that you'd like to say or questions that you'd like to ask. I won't bite; promise. ;)


	7. Why?

**Disclaimer: **I don't own InuYasha or any of the characters. It's too late to think up of something creative.

**A/N: **Gosh, I am super sorry for taking so long to update. I'd like to say that I've been busy, but that'd be a lie. I've been lazy. Anyway, it's finally here at least, albeit kind of short.

* * *

><p><strong>As Day Turns to Night<strong>

**Chapter 7-Why?**

"I don't like the looks of you," Kagome's grandfather muttered, prodding InuYasha suspiciously with the handle of his broomstick.

"Well what if I don't like the looks of you either?" InuYasha countered, trying to snatch the broom from the old man's hands.

"You should learn to be more respectful of your elders, Sonny!"

"Grandpa!" Kagome called as she ran down the hall towards the front door where the two were fighting. "Leave InuYasha alone!"

"Well the boy was being insolent!" he protested.

"You were attacking me!" InuYasha said angrily.

"I was not. I was merely testing you. And from what I've seen, I have deemed you unsuitable for Kagome." The old man folded his arms indignantly.

"Dad," Kagome's mother chastised gently, "let the poor boy be." She then turned her attention to InuYasha. "Hi, I'm Mrs. Higurashi," she introduced herself pleasantly.

"Takahashi InuYasha," he replied, bowing his head slightly.

"What an interesting name," she commented.

"Strange names run in my family. It's a kind of messed-up tradition, along with a few others," InuYasha smirked slightly.

"Well it's nice to hear of a family with a bit of extra character," Mrs. Higurashi smiled. "Anyway, it's a pleasure to meet you, and I trust you and Kagome will have a wonderful time tonight."

"I'm sure we will," InuYasha said. "So, Kagome, are you ready to go?"

"Yep," she replied happily, and bounded off the steps. "Bye, Mom! Bye, Grandpa!"

"Be back by nine!" her mother reminded her.

"And no silly-business!" her grandfather added.

.~*~.

"Well that was...fun," Kagome said.

"I'm sorry," InuYasha apologized. "I don't make very good first-impressions, do I?"

"No, my mom seemed to like you," she mused, "Grandpa's just...Grandpa."

InuYasha grinned at her. "What a great description."

"Oh, shut up," she smiled. They continued to walk across the shrine grounds in silence for a few moments, until InuYasha decided to put his fairly lacking small-talk skills to work.

"Nice tree," he nodded towards the large, ancient-looking one that dominated the right side of the yard.

"Oh, thanks. There's a long and important and amazingly boring story about it that I've already forgotten and have no intention of hearing again." InuYasha looked at her, bemused. "What?" she asked. "I live at a shrine. There are about a million legends of this or tales of that, and my grandfather is set on telling me all of them in excruciating detail. No. Thanks."

"You mean like spooky ghost stories and stuff about people killing each other?" he questioned. "'Cause that sounds pretty interesting to me."

"No, I mean things like: 'There once was a spirit that lived in the jar where I kept this pickle, and that's why it tastes so good'," Kagome said, imitating her grandfather's voice.

"That doesn't sound too bad," InuYasha laughed.

"Except his are twenty times longer and I hear them five times a day, on average."

"Oh, poor you," he teased.

"Poor me indeed," she grumbled.

.~*~.

"Why are you checking your watch?" Kagome inquired as they hopped off the train. "We just got here. Don't tell me you want to ditch me already?"

"Huh?" InuYasha looked up from his wrist, startled. "Oh, no. Sorry. Force of habit," he said sheepishly.

"Okay," she winked back, then paused to look around the park as they entered it. "So? We have an hour to kill. What do you want to do?"

"Eat," InuYasha replied, searching for the nearest food stall.

"You really like to eat, don't you?"

"What, you don't?"

"No, I do; and it's a good thing, too, because I can sympathize with your never-ending appetite," Kagome said. "Though, maybe not to the same extent."

"Good. Now I see a noodle hut over there."

"And?"

"That means ramen time," InuYasha said with an evil grin.

.~*~.

Kagome sat there with a slightly disgusted look on her face as she watched InuYasha scarf down his bowl of noodles. "You eat like a pig, do you realize that?"

"Hmm?" he grunted, noodles still in his mouth.

"Oh, nothing," she said absentmindedly, checking out their surroundings. "We really need to find a good spot to watch the fireworks from before they're all taken." The park was becoming more and more crowded as it became later, and there were already groups of people setting up blankets and portable chairs on the expanse of grass nearby.

"I can use my good-spot-finding radar," InuYasha responded. Kagome turned and glared at him. "What?" he implored. "I was being serious. I have a knack for this kind of stuff."

"Really?" she asked doubtfully, crossing her arms.

"Yes, really. It's like a sixth-sense or something." He stopped eating and scanned the park. "There," he pointed to a spot next to the wall enclosing the cherry tree garden, then turned back to his plastic bowl.

"You're right. That would be good," Kagome agreed.

"Mhm. Just let me finish," InuYasha told her as she started to get up. Kagome stood there, tapping her fingers on the table until he was done and had thrown away the garbage.

"I can't believe you ate three bowls," she commented as they were walking away.

InuYasha shrugged. "It was good ramen."

.~*~.

"Aren't sunsets beautiful?" Kagome sighed as she watched the shifting colours of the sky, her legs stretched before her, her arms extended behind her, and her hands splayed upon the soft blue blanket she had brought with.

"Oh, yeah. Lovely," InuYasha muttered.

"What's your problem?" she asked.

"Noth...Oh, shit!" he exclaimed.

"Hey, language!" Kagome berated him as she sat up.

"It's Hojo."

"Huh?" she looked at him with a puzzled expression.

"Ho-jo," InuYasha stressed each syllable and pointed to the figure in the distance.

"Oh, you're right. It is him. Well, this'll be a bit of a bother."

"He can't see us together!" InuYasha exclaimed.

Kagome's brow furrowed. "Why not?"

"Just...because. I don't want people to know that we're on a date," he admitted slowly.

"Are-are you ashamed of me?" Kagome gaped.

"No, I...damn, he's coming over." InuYasha clambered over the low wall, which proved that it would not do as good a job of hiding him as he'd hoped when his whole head still stuck over it. Desperately searching for a back-up plan, he found one in the means of a ladder propped up against a tree on his right that some maintenance worker had been using earlier to trim it.

"Wait, what are you doing?" Kagome called to InuYasha as he headed up the ladder to the shelter of the branches.

"Kagome, who are you talking to?" Hojo inquired as he came running up.

"Eh?" she asked, blindsided. "Um, the squirrels. They are really...misbehaving," she replied feebly.

"Oh, I know. They can be a terrible nuisance sometimes," Hojo agreed. "So, are you here alone?" he questioned, gesturing to the empty space on the blanket.

"Yeah, I am," she nodded sadly.

"Mind if I join you then?" Hojo grinned cheerily.

"No, go right ahead."

"Fireworks sure are neat, aren't they?"

"Yep. Real neat," Kagome sighed.

.~*~.

Soon the sky had completely drained of the sun's light, and the fireworks started up. There were collective murmurs of amazement from the large crowd that had gathered to watch as the dark was permeated by bursts of vibrant colour. It was at this point that InuYasha chose to sneak down from his hiding place, as he was sure that everyone was sufficiently distracted and unable to hear him over the booms. Dismounting, he took one last glance towards Kagome, whose face was barely visible, even by the light of the fireworks.

"I never even got to tell you how pretty you looked," he whispered beneath his breath, then left.

Though the absence of light had made it easy for him to depart, it had also made it impossible for his violet eyes to see the tears trailing softly down her cheeks.

.~*~.

His hands were shoved deep into the pockets of his pants as he wandered along the path leading up to the park exit. He was kicking rocks along the way, and probably scuffing up his good shoes, but he didn't care. Annoying thoughts were swirling around in his head, pestering and taunting him with the reminder that he had most certainly just blown it, when a female voice interrupted him from his depressing reverie.

"InuYasha?"

"...Kikyo?" Everything just had to go wrong tonight.

* * *

><p><strong>AN: **...Does everyone hate me now? :P Maybe. Well, reviewers, just know that I'm thanking you an extra lot. XD

LiveInColor, Lionsheart13771, chakira16, ShahzysAngelette, MissG2020,

1411alexis- Aweh, six times the thanks for reviewing all my chapters. I'm glad you like it. :),

and StevieWonderboyX (not to RedAntsREvil, because I know that's you, Amy, and you are a mean friend. You stole my line and mocked me. -_-).

So, once again, big thanks to everyone for reviewing, and please read and review more so Amy's review can get covered up. She is a terrible person. Oh, and if you're mad about the direction the story took, blame her. I had two options, and she said this one was the best (She did suggest Yash in the tree though, which I thought was brilliant, especially for someone who doesn't even watch the show). So bye-bye for now, and hopefully I'll have an update within the next few days that may clear up this mess. ;)


	8. Reflection

**Disclaimer:** I don't own InuYasha or any of the characters. In fact, I don't own much, aside from this story, but not the people in it (except Yoshiro. That dope is mine :P).

**A/N:** I have one word for you all: angst. Plus, two more words: longer chapter. :P

* * *

><p><strong>As Day Turns to Night<strong>

**Chapter 8-Reflection**

InuYasha smashed his fist into his pillow, trying to work it into a more comfortable shape, while at the same time releasing his frustration. He sighed heavily and flopped back down onto his bed, staring blankly up at the ceiling. It was no use; he just couldn't get to sleep. Everything felt like it was constraining him; his sheets, his comforter, his clothes, everything. He tugged at his shirt angrily in an attempt to force the material to comply and stop becoming so damn wrinkled. As he did so, he couldn't help but note that any other night that motion would have ripped his shirt un-mercilessly, rendering it useless thanks to his claws. He stared at his hand forlornly. Tonight was supposed to have been different.

As if on cue, the events that had taken place just a few hours prior to his sleepless struggle, and were most likely the route cause of it, started up again in his mind, playing out like some demented movie from hell. He pleaded silently with himself to just forget the whole damn thing until morning, but it was in vain, and the flashback continued blithely along.

.~*~.

His hands were shoved deep into the pockets of his pants as he wandered along the path leading up to the park exit. He was kicking rocks along the way, and probably scuffing up his good shoes, but he didn't care. Annoying thoughts were swirling around in his mind, pestering and taunting him with the reminder that he had most certainly just blown it.

.~*~.

He had abandoned her. He had left with an utter disregard for her feelings, or so he pretended. The truth was that it was her feelings he was trying to protect, but that only made it worse, because he knew then that he cared. He cared enough to try to spare her from being trapped with him, with someone she could never truly love, and he had done it the only way he had known how: by being a complete and total ass.

Life, are you ever going to stop hating me? he wondered, when his named was called from ahead, and he received his answer.

"InuYasha?"

"...Kikyo?"

They both stared for a moment, the boom of a firework sounding in the background.

"I didn't expect to see you here," she said slowly. "I mean, how can you even be here?"

"No moon," InuYasha stated simply, and gestured to the sky.

"Huh?" the boy with his arm wrapped around Kikyo's shoulder asked stupidly, "What the hell does that mean? Are you a werewolf or something?" He grinned as InuYasha shot him a disdainful look.

"Yoshiro, please; mind your own business," Kikyo shushed him.

"Fine; whatever," he said complacently, and turned his head to watch the fireworks.

"Glad to see you've found someone worthy of your attention," InuYasha sneered sarcastically. Kikyo glared.

"He's all right."

"Just all right?" Yoshiro whined, snapping back to attention. "Come on, sweetie. Give me a little more credit than that."

"I will when you don't complain about paying for dinner," she retorted pointedly. An expression of disgust passed across InuYasha's face, and rage began to boil up inside him.

"Really, Kikyo? You're getting mad at the poor sap about that, when I happen to know you are perfectly capable of paying your own way."

"Don't even start," she threatened, but InuYasha chose to let her warning go unheeded.

"Yoshiro, a word of advice here: Don't let her fool you, even though I've learned from experience that she's damn good at it. Kikyo has money up the wazoo, and you can be certain of that, because she got it from me," InuYasha seethed.

"I'm confused," the other boy said. "Did you steal from him or something? Are you like, a professional cat-burglar?"

"No, and stop with the outrageous accusations," she ordered. "It was a settlement, and therefore entirely legal."

"It was extortion," InuYasha objected.

"You're never going to give that up, are you?" Kikyo rolled her eyes, and then pulled on her partner's shirt. "Come on, let's go. I'm tired of this conversation already."

"Okay," he agreed, and followed after the girl. "Bye, Inu...Yoshi. It was nice meeting you, I guess."

"Have fun alone," Kikyo added as they left.

"I'm only alone because of you," InuYasha muttered, though there was no way she could have heard.

.~*~.

She had torn his fucking heart to shreds without as much as a thought. She had fooled him into believing that they had a future together, and he had let her in. Kikyo was the only one he had ever told his secret to. Others, like Miroku, knew, but that was because they were old family friends, and past generations had done the revealing for him. That was why when he had decided it was time to tell Kikyo he had wanted to be the one to do it. He had wanted to see the look on her face, the one of acceptance and caring as he finally revealed what he really was, along with the assurance that it didn't matter to her. Instead, he had seen one of horror and disgust.

_The damn bitch called me a monster._ InuYasha smashed his fist into his pillow again. _A monster, a disgrace to her family, a disgrace to my family, a freak_. With each passing insult he bashed his clenched hand, pummelling his pillow into a sad, miserable lump. He sat up and looked at the pitiful form. _I'm that pillow_, he thought, depressed, and placed his head in his palms, giving up on sleep.

.~*~.

"Honey, you need to talk to your friend, now," Izayoi commanded sweetly from the doorway to InuYasha's room. "This is the eighth time he's called in the past half-hour, and I'm frankly getting a little fed-up."

"There have to be laws against this," InuYasha muttered as he accepted the phone grudgingly from his mother. "Harassment, or something. What?" he grumbled angrily into the device while he eyed his mother suspiciously as she mouthed 'Maybe you should get out of bed' before tapping at his clock then leaving.

"Finally decided to grace me with your cheery disposition, did you?" Miroku inquired sarcastically.

"Go to hell," was InuYasha's muffled response, as his head was buried in his covers.

"Seriously, now, what is your problem?" Miroku demanded from the other side of the line. "Sango told me about the little stunt you pulled last night. Apparently, Kagome was close to tears when she talked to her."

InuYasha groaned. "I don't need this right now."

"Well you're getting it," the other boy retorted. "Honestly, I don't understand how you could be such an idiot. You have a wonderful girl, who is neither a gold-digger nor under the influence of any substance, and miraculously wants to be with grumpy-old you, but then you go and throw it all away, just like that. Poof, gone. It's mind-boggling."

"Miroku, could you do me a favour and go get a life, instead of interfering in mine?"

"You are absolutely impossible, do you realize that? You are never going to be happy, never, because every time you come close, you're going to shoot yourself in the fucking foot, and pretend like it's everyone else's fault but yours," he ranted, fuming. InuYasha, on the other hand, was startled.

"I've never heard you say that before."

"What?"

"Fuck. I have never, in the seventeen years I've known you, heard you say that word."

"Well, I'm pretty pissed right now," Miroku confessed.

"Yeah, I can tell."

"So?"

"So what?" InuYasha asked, confused.

"Do you have anything to say for yourself? Any futile attempts to defend what you did?"

"I saw Kikyo there," InuYasha stated.

"Oh, fuck no." There was the distinct sound of Miroku slapping his forehead on the other line. InuYasha chuckled without humour.

"Yeah, that's what I thought."

"Did she mess up your date, or something? Is that why you felt the need to act like a jerk?"

"No," he admitted. "I ran into her after I left Kagome. She was...she was part of the reason, though."

Miroku sighed lengthily before replying. "You know, I wish you had never met that girl. I like to believe that everything happens for a reason, but seriously; she screwed you up even more than I thought possible."

"Whatever. It's all in the past now," InuYasha mumbled.

"You don't act like it is," his friend countered.

InuYasha exhaled upwards forcefully, his bangs fluttering in the slight breeze. "Look, can we just drop this for now?"

"Fine," Miroku conceded. "But as much as you don't like it, you're going to have to face your issues sooner or later."

"Keh."

The other boy rolled his eyes. "One word isn't going to solve all your problems."

"I disagree," InuYasha said absently, picking at a thread on his sheet.

"Well, try that on Kagome, then, and see if it works," Miroku scoffed. InuYasha perked up as an idea entered his brain.

"Hey, you wouldn't maybe be able to talk to Sango and get her to...smooth that over for me, perhaps?" he implored slowly.

"Absolutely not," his friend said firmly. "You made this mess, so you fix it. No more avoiding your problems."

"You know, this whole psychiatrist-act that you're doing is really starting to wear thin," InuYasha pointed out disdainfully.

"Well, if you stopped being such a mental-case then maybe I'd lay off as well," Miroku joked.

"I am not a mental-case!" was the furious reply from the other side of the line.

Miroku chuckled and humoured his friend. "Sure you aren't."

.~*~.

After clicking off the phone, InuYasha turned and checked his clock to see if he had wasted a sufficient portion of the day. The display glowed a red 12:47 at him, and he decided that that was good enough. He hauled himself out of bed and padded over to his door lazily, swinging it open and heading into the hallway. There he came upon a passing Sesshoumaru, who opened his mouth to comment on his brother's slovenly habits.

"Fuck off, Sesshoumaru," InuYasha said pre-emptively, and continued on to the bathroom.

"Well, that was uncalled for," Sesshoumaru muttered and glared at InuYasha, who flipped him the bird over his shoulder.

Inside the bathroom, InuYasha turned on the shower then stripped off his clothing, waiting a moment to make sure the water was the right temperature. As nice as his house was, the water always seemed to be a little temperamental, at least when it concerned him. It often took a lot of fiddling with the taps to get it perfect and make it stay that way, and today was no exception. Finally, when he felt certain that he would neither be frozen to death nor burnt to a crisp, he hopped into the shower. The water pounding upon his body made him feel slightly more alert, and he began to ponder just what the hell he was going to do about this whole 'situation'.

Today was a holiday, and so was tomorrow. That meant that he wasn't going to get to see Kagome, barring a chance encounter (though he didn't plan to get out much), until Friday, when school was back in session. Maybe that would give her time to cool off, and then he could apologize. Either that or she would stew with her feelings until she was even more upset. She was normally pretty cheery, but InuYasha had a sneaking suspicion that if she were provoked enough she could snap. _Well, isn't this going to be fun?_ he thought sarcastically.

* * *

><p><strong>AN:** So there it is, everyone. Actually, it may not have been there, if things had worked out differently, but I ended up deciding that I wanted another chapter in between the previous one and one that I have pretty much already finished. Plus, not only am I very happy with this chapter, I'm happy with the next one. Let's just say that it contains something...exciting, if all goes according to plan. ;) Now, thank you's go to:

Lionsheart13771, LiveInColor, chinochan-inulover, 1411alexis, and StevieWonderboyx.

Now, I must depart and find food, then eat and continue writing. I'm in a groove, which is a good thing! :D


	9. More Than Unlucky

**Disclaimer:** Claire, the weird girl who refers to herself in third person more often than she'd like, does not own InuYasha, which makes her kind of sad (though she doubts she could come up with something _that_ awesome).

**A/N:** Hello, everyone! Very quick update, ne? :P I basically had this chapter finished when I posted my last one, so there you go. Also, it contains something...exciting. :D

* * *

><p><strong>As Day Turns to Night<strong>

**Chapter 9-More than Unlucky**

"Would you stop bothering me now? I think I already made it pretty clear that I don't want to talk to you."

"Look, Kagome, I've already apologized. What else do you want me to do?" InuYasha asked plaintively, hurrying after her along the sidewalk.

"I want you to leave me alone!" she snapped.

"Can I at least explain first like I've been trying to do all day?" Kagome just kept on walking. "You know, ignoring me is pretty immature," InuYasha pointed out.

"Well if that isn't the pot calling the kettle black," she scoffed.

"I'm not denying that. I'm just saying that it's not like you to be so petty."

"You're a jerk; do you realize that? First, you take off on me halfway through our date because you don't want to be seen with me, and now you have the audacity to be insulting me!" Kagome shouted angrily, causing some passer-by's to stare.

"It's not that I didn't want to be seen with you..."

"Then what, InuYasha? What was the all-important reason that made you disregard any scrap of manners you had?"

"I didn't want it to be official," he said softly.

"What?"

"If people know, then it's official. That means there are all these stupid expectations and rules and shit. I don't like dealing with that. Plus, it would mean that you're kind of stuck with me, and I don't want you to be. I'm not normal, Kagome. It wouldn't be fair to you..." he trailed off.

"Well, no one's really normal. We all have quirks." He scoffed at that. "What's so funny?"

"Kagome, this is a lot more than just a few quirks."

"So? I won't care," she said stubbornly.

"How do you know that?" he objected. "I haven't even told you."

"Well, why don't you then?" she asked, arms crossed.

"...It's too soon," he said, purposefully avoiding her gaze.

"Wouldn't it be more courteous to let me know what I'm getting into, though?" InuYasha thought for a moment.

"How about you give me a little more time? Not a lot, just enough to consider...the outcome."

"Deal," she agreed, and stuck out her hand for him to shake it, which he did. "So, I suppose this means I'm going against all of my better judgment and giving you another chance?" she smiled slyly.

"I guess so," he smirked.

"All right then. I'll come over to your house." InuYasha blinked, stunned.

"What? You mean today? As in right now?"

"Yeah. It's Friday, and you said you wanted more time. We might as well spend that time together. Then you'll see how silly you are not to trust me," she winked, and nudged his side with her elbow.

InuYasha laughed nervously. _Oh shit_, he thought.

.~*~.

"What's she doing over here?" Sesshoumaru inquired curiously as he came through the front door.

"She's phoning her mother to tell her that she's going to be home late, of course," InuYasha replied, half out-of-it.

"Really? I had assumed that the girl had finally come to her senses and dumped you after you spent the past two days moping around here like some kind of morose sloth."

"Oh, no. I'm not that lucky. No, instead she's planning on staying over and watching a movie."

"Is she going to be leaving before sunset?" his brother asked with a frown.

"I have no idea," InuYasha said, pondering his fate.

Sesshoumaru shook his head and started to head up the stairs. "You are an absolute idiot."

"For once, I agree with you."

.~*~.

"So, what else do you want to watch?" Kagome asked, looking through the shelf of DVD's next to the wall.

"Look, Kagome, I really don't have time for this. We already watched a movie; it was great, it was fantastic, but now I have other things to do," InuYasha protested.

"Like what?"

"Huh?" he looked at her blankly.

Kagome turned towards him, her hands on her hips. "Like. What?" she repeated.

"Ummm," InuYasha thought desperately for an excuse. "One second," he said, and ran upstairs, stopping at Sesshoumaru's door and banging frantically upon it, which was not well received by his brother.

"Could you at least try to act civilized?" Sesshoumaru glared.

"Just tell me where Mom and Dad are," he panted.

"At a friend's house."

InuYasha banged his head against the wall. "Are you fucking kidding me?"

"Be careful, there," Sesshoumaru advised. "You're going to give yourself more brain damage than you already have."

"What friend's?" InuYasha ground out between his teeth, head still resting on the wall.

"I'm not sure. However, only so many people 'know', so it would not be too hard to figure out, even for someone of your limited intellect."

"I don't have time to figure it out!" he shouted furiously. "I need them here now, to say something like 'No girls over after dark', or 'You're grounded, Kagome has to leave'. I don't care. I just need her out of here!"

"Well, it isn't her house. That means you could always just try telling her to leave," his brother drawled, uninterested.

"I have...in a sense. But she's as stubborn as a fucking mule! Besides," he sighed, "I already screwed things up once. What if me telling her to go is the final straw?"

"I don't know, InuYasha. It's not my problem," Sesshoumaru stated simply, and started to close his door.

"Yes, it is!" he protested. "If she tells anyone, then your life is ruined too!"

"No, it isn't. I'll just make it very clear that you're the freak of the family." With that, he shut his door, and InuYasha was left banging his head on the wall once more.

.~*~.

"Kagome, you need to get out of here now!" InuYasha yelled as he slid into the living room. There was barely any time left. He had been wracking his brain for some way to make her leave without hurting her feelings, but the pressure had made it nearly impossible for him to think, and, as it would happen, he was just going to have to basically kick her out.

"What? Why? InuYasha, what's the matter?" she asked, startled.

"Just go!" He began pushing her through the room over to the door as his hands started to shake. He could feel the rosary around his neck begin to heat up, and he knew that soon Kagome would be able to see its glow beneath his uniform.

"InuYasha, seriously! What are you doing? You're kind of scaring me."

"I'm sorry, but you have to go. Please, Kagome, please," he pleaded as they reached the door. His body was beginning to shake, and he was going to transform any minute now. She couldn't know. Not yet.

"InuYasha," she whispered, staring back at him. His eyes were so sad.

"Just do this for me, all right? I need you to leave."

"Okay," she relented, and relief washed over his face.

"Thank you." She nodded, put on her shoes and opened the door, saying a soft good bye as she left. Once it closed, he fell to the floor, finally letting his body give out now that it was safe. He rested his back against the wood as the tremors that wracked his form became stronger and the rosary grew hotter. Though his eyes were closed, he knew that by now his hair would be turning silver, and he was amazed at how narrowly he had squeaked by this time.

.~*~.

Kagome stopped about halfway down the walk. Her bag was still inside. No matter that he had just rejected her and shoved her out, he hadn't even had the courtesy to let her get her things. Suddenly infuriated by this revelation, she stomped back over to the door and tried to open it. However, it seemed to be stuck; not completely, as she managed to budge it open a crack, but it was extremely hard to do so. She gave it one more almighty thrust, and heard a thump accompanied by a moan as she did so.

.~*~.

"InuYasha!" he heard her exclaim as he started to try and pull himself up from the floor. It wasn't working very well. His ears had started to change, and he groaned again as another wave of pain streaked through his head. Steady hands grasped his shoulders and he felt himself being jostled. She was talking, but her voice sounded all distorted and fuzzy for a moment. However, it then snapped back into focus along with his sight as the transformation finished. He looked up and saw Kagome kneeling next to him, her eyes filled with shock and awe.

"I-I told you to leave. I needed more time," was all he managed to say.

"What...happened? Why..."

"Just give me a moment," he interrupted, putting his hand out to stop her. There was a slight pause as he waited for his head to stop spinning, then he lifted himself off the ground. Kagome tried to help him, but that just upset InuYasha even more.

"I can do it myself," he muttered darkly. Her stare was penetrating, and he ducked his head to the side in a futile attempt to try to avoid it. But he could still feel her gaze. She was perfectly content to just sit there and silently judge him. It made him sick, and he couldn't take it anymore.

"Stop looking at me like that," he commanded, his head still turned away.

"I'm sorry," she said softly. "I just..."

"What? You want to know why I'm such a freak, is that it?" he snapped. Kagome flinched visibly, and he immediately regretted it. "I mean..." he ran his hand through his hair as he tried to organize his thoughts, and his claws brushed up against the snowy white ears perched there. He shuddered in disgust, and then began to walk upstairs and motioned to her to follow. "Come on. I don't like being down here when I'm...you just never know who can see you, okay?" She nodded and fell into step behind him. She had adopted a curious posture since he lost his temper, and it was disconcerting. Her head was bowed and her hands were clasped in front. It was very formal, and stiff, and...wrong, but he held his tongue until they reached his room.

InuYasha yanked the door open. "Go ahead," he told her when she didn't do so of her own accord. Kagome hesitated for a moment, and then did so. "You can sit on the chair by my desk there." He made his way over to his bed and dropped onto it. She still didn't say anything. "What, are you mute? Aren't you going to ask me why I look like this?"

"Are you going to get mad at me again?" Her voice sounded very small, and she was staring at her feet.

"No," he sighed. "Look, I'm sorry about that, okay? You can understand why I'd be defensive, though."

"I can't, actually. You haven't told me what's going on." He gave her a withering glare.

"You just try to make things difficult, don't you?" She shrugged. "Fine," he said rubbing his face in frustration. "I'm cursed. Happy now?"

"Cursed?" Kagome looked doubtful.

"Yes, cursed. I am, and Sesshoumaru, and my dad."

"Really? All of you?"

"Mhm," he nodded, staring out the window at the last few tinges of pink lining the sky.

"And why are you cursed, exactly?" she inquired.

"Because one of my ancestors was an idiot."

"How?"

He sighed once more. "I really don't like telling this story."

* * *

><p><strong>AN: **If there are any people out there who are as impatient as me and wait for moments like these, then they are probably doing happy dances right now. :P So, just a question: do you guys think my chapters are short? I was previewing one of them yesterday to make sure everything was formatted correctly, and I thought it looked pretty short. The next chapter coming up is actually my longest one to date, and I'm hopefully going to try and keep them that length or longer from now on. I may also go back and beef up my previous chapters, as well, along with fixing a few errors I noticed. It won't be much, just a little extra description and such, as I tend to focus on dialog. :P All right, now thank you's for:

xbeautyxxisxxlifex, kitana411, 1411alexis, StevieWonderboyx, MissG2020, and LiveInColor.

So, another update is on its very timely way, and until then, bye-bye. R&R, and all that good stuff. :)


	10. A Bad Story and A Not So Bad Night

**Disclaimer:** I don't own InuYasha or any of the characters, and if I thought I did I would be pretty darn delusional.

**A/N:** Wow, you guys really don't like cliff-hangers, do you? :P InuYasha's version of the story isn't even that good, either. XD

* * *

><p><strong>As Day Turns to Night<strong>

**Chapter 10-A Bad Story and A Not-So Bad Night**

"So, a really long time ago, about five-hundred years or something like that, my ancestor, being the genius that he was, got involved with a dark priestess. Now she was a real bitch..."

"InuYasha!" Kagome reprimanded him.

"Hey, it's the truth! Anyway, this priestess and my ancestor were having a great time, getting up to who knows what, when he finally realized that she was a total bitch. He apparently met some other woman who was actually nice, and he figured out that hanging around this dark priestess was really stupid when he had way better options. So he ditched her and started chasing after this other woman. Well, the dark priestess got really jealous and pissed off, and told my ancestor to come back to her, and he was all 'No way, bitch'. So she cursed him and his sons and his sons' sons, etcetera, etcetera."

"And the curse was that you'd get doggy ears?" If there was ever a look that could kill, that'd be it right there, Kagome thought as she saw the expression on InuYasha's face after her question.

"No, that is not the curse," he replied flatly. "The curse is that all the males in this family are human by day and demon by night."

"Really?" Kagome exclaimed, incredulous.

"Yes, really. Except for me."

"What do you mean?"

InuYasha reached under the collar of his uniform and pulled out a small strand of beads. The majority of them were purple and round; however, every sixth one was a larger grey bead that resembled a fang.

"Oh, so _that's_ why your shirts always look kind of weird around the collar," she commented.

"Yeah," he said.

"It's pretty, though."

"Thanks, although it's not really there just because 'it's pretty'. See, when my parents learned that they were having a boy, they went to go see a family friend who was a monk. They asked him if there was anything that he could do to stop the curse from affecting me. He told them that he wasn't sure, but promised to work on something anyway. The result was this necklace. He used special spiritual beads to make it, along with blessing it himself, and his intention was for it to stop the transformation."

"But it didn't," Kagome filled in for him.

"Well, it sort of did. See, I become half-demon. The monk didn't make it quite powerful enough, so it's able to hold back my youki completely for one night, while the rest of the time it only partially does so." He sighed. "The whole idea had been for me to actually be normal, though, and it kind of just made it worse. I don't exactly blend in with a crowd, now do I?"

"No, but being different isn't so bad," she responded consolingly.

"Kagome, everyone is different," InuYasha insisted. "I'm an abomination."

"That's an awful thing to say." There was a slight hint of outrage in her voice, and it surprised him, but he persisted anyway.

"Well, the truth isn't all bunnies and rainbows."

"Are you sure, 'cause I'd like it a lot more if it was," Kagome winked, trying to distract him from his self-loathing.

Meanwhile, InuYasha almost felt like laughing at the absurdity of the situation. Here she was, acting like this whole damn situation was nothing, which it most definitely wasn't, but...it was refreshing in a way, and completely different from the reaction he had expected her to have, based on past experience. There was no screaming, no accusations that he was some kind of monster, nothing. It was just like they were having a normal conversation, at least on her end.

"So, is this it?" Kagome asked, snapping him out of his reverie. "This why you've been acting so weird?"

"Weird is my norm, but yes, it is."

"No other skeletons in your closet?"

"None come to mind." _Hah. As if that couldn't be farther from the truth_, he thought bitterly.

"All right. It's better than most of my theories," she confessed.

"Wait; other theories?" InuYasha inquired, confused.

"Well, yeah. I mean, of course there was the normal stuff, like 'He doesn't like me' or 'He's a workaholic', but there were also some crazy things that I imagined when I let my mind go wild," Kagome confided.

"Like?"

"Oh, you know, the usual. Superhero, secret agent, assassin, alien, robot, fugitive..."

"How the hell could I be a fugitive?" he broke in.

"I don't know," she said, throwing her hands up in slight exasperation, "It was just a thought."

"Well, it was a stupid one."

"So is there any way to break this curse?" she questioned him with unveiled curiosity.

"Not that I know of. Sure would be nice, though," InuYasha replied wistfully, staring out the window.

"I could get my grandpa to slap a few useless sutras on you and chant for a while," she offered.

"Thanks, but no thanks," he laughed humourlessly.

They sat there for a moment in silence, neither one looking at the other.

"So, are you really okay with this?" InuYasha asked slowly. Kagome blinked at him in surprise.

"Why would I not be?"

"What?" he blurted.

"Well, is there a reason?"

InuYasha thought for a moment. "Um, no, I suppose not," he mumbled.

"Then I'm okay with it," she stated firmly. "Are you okay with it?"

"Huh?"

"With me knowing," she elaborated. "'Cause, you know, I can repress it if you like. My powers are numerous."

"You're joking, correct?" His eyebrow was raised, and the expression on his face clearly revealed that he half-believed her.

"Duh," Kagome smiled.

"Oh, no, it's fine. I had kind of hoped to tell you later, though, but I guess this is how things worked out."

"Yeah," she rubbed the back of her head sheepishly. "Sorry for not really...listening. I didn't think you actually had a legitimate reason for the standoffish-ness. I thought you were just being stubborn."

"It's all right. Can't do anything about it now, anyway," he sighed.

"So, you _don't_ want me to know..." she trailed off, looking hurt.

"No, I mean..." InuYasha ran his hand through his hair in frustration. "I'm just worried. The more people that know, the easier it is for it to get out...you know?"

"I wouldn't tell anyone if you didn't want me to," Kagome pouted, a little offended.

"I know, I just have...trust issues."

"Well, you should get over them," she advised.

"Yeah, my fake-shrink has been trying to help with that, but to no avail," he shrugged.

"Fake-shrink?"

"The pervert."

"Oh, Miroku!" she realized. "You know, he and Sango went out the other night."

"They did?" he asked, his brow furrowed.

"Mhm. Sango said she had to slap him about three times, but that was less then she expected, so she was happy," Kagome giggled.

"He didn't tell me that..." InuYasha said slowly.

"Oh." Kagome looked unsure of what to do next.

"Makes sense, though," he admitted. "I've been wrapped up in my own shit, lately."

"You have a problem," Kagome informed him sternly.

"With what?"

"Swearing."

InuYasha started to laugh. "Seriously? You have a problem with me saying a few bad words, but not me looking like this?" He gestured to his transformed body.

"Hey, maybe they're called curse words for a reason," she suggested slyly.

"Touché," he grinned, and then looked down in slight surprise as his stomach rumbled.

"Hungry?"

"Yeah," he confessed. "I have to eat a lot more when I'm like this. My metabolism's all sped-up, or some shit."

"Are you sure that's not just an excuse?" Kagome inquired, choosing to ignore the swear word in favour of teasing him. "You certainly seem to eat enough normally."

"Keh. How about we just go find food?" he asked, getting up and heading towards the door.

"Sure," she smiled, and then thought for a moment. "So, I take it that this means I'm staying for dinner." InuYasha turned to look back at her.

"Would you like to stay for dinner?"

"I wouldn't be opposed to it," she said coyly.

"Come downstairs, then," he gestured, and stepped out of the room.

"Didn't you say you don't like being downstairs while you're like this?" she questioned as she followed him, recalling their prior conversation.

"Yeah, but the kitchen's at the back, farther away from the street. Besides, I kind of have to go down there, unless I want to starve. It's not like I can conjure food out of mid-air," InuYasha scoffed.

"You sure about that?"

"Positive."

As they walked by Sesshoumaru's room InuYasha ran his clenched fist along the wall, banging just to bother him. On the other side of the wall he heard his brother say,

"So, you told her, did you?", to which he responded,

"Yep."

"Huh?" Kagome asked, confused as to why InuYasha was seemingly talking to himself.

"Oh, sorry," he apologized, blushing. "Sesshy and I can hear each other. The ears," he explained, tapping at his own.

"Oh, okay," she nodded, understanding, while Sesshoumaru muttered at InuYasha about that nickname through the wall.

"Yeah, privacy is a rare thing in this house. A rare, rare thing," he said bitterly, making his way down the stairs. "It's just good that my parents are out. Otherwise, I'd have to put up with their damn questions all night. Though, really, it's just delaying the inevitable, since Lord Fancy-Pants up there will probably inform them anyway to get back at me." He jerked his head over his shoulder as more muttering came from Sesshoumaru's room.

"You two don't like each other very much, do you?" Kagome wondered.

"Well, we have an..._interesting_ relationship, mostly consisting of mutual-semi-hatred and death threats."

"Yeah, you mentioned those before."

"That's because they're fairly frequent." InuYasha meandered over to the fridge, opening it and looking through it curiously, and then began pulling out containers of leftovers. Kagome sifted through each one as he put it on the counter then headed back for more.

"InuYasha, this is pretty much all meat," she told him, wrinkling her nose in distaste.

"What? Are you a vegetarian or something?"

"No, but you have you heard of, I don't know, other food groups?"

"They're overrated," he stated simply. "Besides, we're out of Ramen."

"Really?" she looked up, feigning surprise. "You're out of Ramen?"

"Yeah. I ate it all," he replied with a fanged grin, taking out one last container and shutting the fridge door. Kagome surveyed the pile of containers that had formed, and raised a questioning eyebrow at the hanyou.

"You are seriously going to eat all this?"

"Well, I thought you were going to have some, too."

"Yeah, but this is enough to feed an army, and all their horses," she protested.

"Whatever," he shrugged. "I'm sure we can manage."

.~*~.

"I can't believe you ate it all," Kagome said, shaking her head.

"Mmm. It was good. Now how about dessert?" InuYasha asked, rubbing his hands together. He laughed as Kagome's jaw dropped open. "Kidding. I was kidding." He raised his hands up in defence.

"I sure hope you were," she muttered. "So? This is normal for you?"

"Pretty much, yeah; except my mother usually tries to stop us from eating so much. We all just sneak extra-helpings after. I think she knows, too, but she ignores us and tries to pretend like her talks about 'portion control' actually work," he chuckled.

"Poor her," Kagome sympathized. "Being the only human in a house full of demons."

"Hey, she knew what she was getting into," he joked. "Besides, I think the worst part of the deal was getting Ice-Man as a step-son."

"He's not that bad," she disagreed.

"He is. It takes a special kind of person to put up with him on a regular basis. The only time that guy is truly happy is when he's making other people miserable; namely, me."

"You know, you two should probably _talk_, and try to work these issues out."

"Bah," InuYasha said dismissively. "That's not as much fun."

Kagome sat there for a moment, and then an idea crossed her mind. "So?" she asked.

InuYasha stared at her, puzzled. "So what?"

"So what's really keeping you from going out? I mean, I assume this has been the whole issue behind why you've been rejecting my offers to go do something, correct?" He nodded. "Okay, so I understand you look kind of different, but really, the only red-flag is your ears. If you cover them up with a hat, then people would probably think you're just some punk with dyed hair and contacts, or whatever. Now, if you do that, then maybe we can go out and do something. It is the weekend, and it may be a nice second chance for you," she pointed out. InuYasha, however, sighed, and started clearing their dishes.

"Yeah, that sounds great in theory, but what if people that I know see me? Am I just supposed to have randomly changed up my appearance for one night only? Plus, I don't like the extra-attention I get. And things can always go wrong."

"Oh, come on," Kagome pleaded. "I'm sure it'd be fine. I mean, what are the chances that we'd run into someone who knows you?"

"Given my luck, pretty great." When she still gave him that begging look, InuYasha rolled his eyes and continued. "Never mind that it's as annoying as hell for me."

"You just don't like people," she countered.

"Granted, yes, but that's not all of it. My senses are on an entirely different level right now. In a busy place like a movie theatre there are about a million fucking smells and twice as many people talking. It gives me a headache."

Kagome eyed him disappointedly.

"What?" he shouted defensively. "It's not like I asked to be saddled with this shit, nor is it fun. I mean, you think I don't want to go do normal shit with everyone else, huh, but that couldn't be farther from the truth. I would _love_ to not be stuck inside all the fucking time, and to actually be able to do what I want to do." At this his voice lowered, while his shoulders began to sag and his ears drooped. "That's not going to happen, though," he admitted, resigned.

"InuYasha...I'm sorry. That-that wasn't what I meant at all," she stammered, getting up and walking towards him. She reached her hand out and touched his shoulder gently, and though he flinched, he still didn't look towards her. "I'm sorry I pressed you," Kagome continued. "We don't have to do anything if you don't think you can. I'm happy just to spend time with you." She smiled up at him while he gazed down at her with a startled expression.

"Wha-what?"

"I know it's surprising, but despite all your faults I actually do like being with you. Otherwise I would have said 'sayounara' a long time ago," she confessed. "It wouldn't hurt for you to have a little more tact, though."

"Um...thanks," he replied, still slightly unsure of himself.

"No problem. Now, do you want me to stay or leave?" Kagome coaxed.

"You can-you can stay if you'd like to." InuYasha blushed slightly as he rubbed the back of his head.

"I would like to. I picked out a good movie earlier, before...you know, and I still want to watch it."

"Well, I guess we can do that then."

"Cool," she grinned. "Race you to the couch."

"Wait-what?" he asked, but she had already taken off. He shook his head. _Weirdest girl I ever met._

* * *

><p><strong>AN:** Yasha, I think you kind of dropped the ball with that explanation of the curse. Maybe I'll have to pick up the slack sometime. Now, thank you's!

kitana411,

InuKag01234- I totally agree with you that his transformations would be seriously painful. :P However, it's not really something that's touched upon in the manga/anime. For example, the first time we see him change from hanyou to human then back again in episode 13, it doesn't seem to phase him (pain-wise), and the same's true for subsequent transformations. You could be right and he is just a total trooper who hides the pain. It's basically up to speculation though, as it's never really discussed that they do hurt him, and there are some inconsistencies with his reception of pain as you mentioned. So thanks for reviewing; it was good food for thought. ;)

xbeautyxxisxxlifex, TD Demon, Lionsheart13371, LiveInColor, lovelygurl, and StevieWonderboyx.

So thanks to everyone for reviewing, I love reading all of them, and a bag of cookies to whoever picks up on the South Park reference in this chapter (If no one finds it, then I get the cookies. Either way, I'm happy). :)


	11. A Day Out

**Disclaimer:** I don't own InuYasha or any of the characters, and if you thought I did then you'd be pretty delusional too (though I'd be flattered). ;)

**A/N: **So, there was a bit of a chapter swap today. I decided to save something for later, when it would cause more problems. So now we have fluff (and possibly a bit of non-fluff)!

* * *

><p><strong>As Day Turns to Night<strong>

**Chapter 11-A Day Out**

"Honey, Kagome's here to see you," Izayoi called lightly, rapping on InuYasha's door.

"Whuzzuh?" he mumbled blearily.

"She's downstairs waiting," she informed him, and then opened the door. "So," his mother whispered, "how did she take it?"

"Oh, um," InuYasha thought for a moment, still not fully awake. He settled on holding his thumb up as a response.

"Good," Izayoi smiled gently, then left. InuYasha sat there for a moment, giving his brain time to reconnect. Sesshoumaru had obviously told his parents, no surprise there, and now they were probably pestering Kagome. Lovely. He stretched, yawning, then headed downstairs, plodding tiredly and running his hands through his hair. He found them in the living room, chatting happily.

"Hi, InuYasha," Kagome chirped when she saw him, and then scanned her eyes over his body. "You're not dressed yet?"

"Uh, no," he admitted sheepishly.

"You'd be hard-pressed to get this one up before noon if he didn't have to," Inu no Taisho laughed.

"It's eleven-seventeen," InuYasha muttered.

"Well, you had to get up, now didn't you?" his father pointed out. "You had a pretty girl waiting for you." InuYasha narrowed his eyes at him.

"So...Kagome...what's up?" he asked awkwardly, rubbing the back of his head.

"I just thought we could go and do something," she explained. "You'd need to put on some proper clothes, though."

"I guess I can manage that," he said slowly.

"Excellent!" His father clapped in delight. "Now, Kagome, I want you to take good care of my boy. No taking him to any clubs or raves or wherever hooligans like to go to and absolutely no pressuring him!" he chided mockingly. Kagome burst out laughing, while InuYasha's jaw dropped.

"Isn't the girl's father usually supposed to say that?" she asked, still chuckling.

"Well, I thought I'd mix it up," he said slyly. "Plus, we are a household of equal rights and opportunities for everyone!" Inu no Taisho proclaimed, rather proud of himself.

"Dad?" InuYasha said flatly.

"Yes, son?"

"Go embarrass someone else for a change, _please_."

"Right," he grinned, and hurried off. InuYasha shook his head in disdain, and Kagome held back the few snickers she still had in her.

"Sorry about..._that._" He gestured with a hint of annoyance to the direction his father had gone in. "I'm going to go get dressed now. Just give me a moment."

"Okay," Kagome complied as he ran back upstairs. She stood there for a few minutes, twiddling her thumbs and glancing around the room, until InuYasha came back, clad in a green polo shirt and jeans. It was, unfortunately, obvious that he had gotten dressed in a rush, and Kagome wandered over to fix his collar, which was turned upwards and looked rather silly.

"Thanks," he murmured, blushing.

"No problem," she replied. "You should probably tuck in your pockets, too." He did so as they headed to the door, watching Kagome carefully while she put on her shoes.

"You scare me when you do that," he said, eyeing her movements with suspicion as she hopped around.

"What?" she inquired, her brow furrowed in both confusion and concentration.

"Well, you're a complete klutz. You make the most mundane things dangerous."

"I do not!" was her indignant protest, though at that very moment she lost her footing, and a nasty fall was only prevented by InuYasha sticking his arm out and catching her.

"You do so," he objected as she stared up at him, her cheeks turning red.

"Whatever," Kagome grumbled, pulling her arm out of his grasp. "I'll make you eat your words one day," she vowed, sticking out her tongue. He stuck out his as well, then grinned and opened the door.

"So, where do you want to go, exactly?"

"I'm not sure. Any ideas?" she asked hopefully.

"Why are you asking me for ideas," InuYasha questioned her with mock-annoyance, raising an eyebrow. "Aren't you the one who showed up at my house? You should have the plan."

"Well, I did, but your dad shot it down," Kagome joked. "Remember? No raves or s-e-x. Your delicate little mind just can't take it." She winked at him conspiratorially.

"You are treading on thin ice," he warned her, ruffling her hair.

"Hey!" she objected, though she was secretly pleased. "Don't do that. You'll mess it up."

"It looks fine," he affirmed. "You weren't the one who was dragged out of bed ten minutes ago."

"Still," she pouted, and then brightened up as a thought crossed her mind. "You haven't eaten yet, have you?"

"Well, unless I've figured out some secret way to stop time that you are unaware of, no."

"Good. We'll go get something to eat, then!" she announced happily.

"Okay, but it better not be ice cream."

.~*~.

"Hey, remember this place?" Kagome asked InuYasha, nudging his side conspiratorially. "Our first date."

"That was not a date," he protested, taking his eyes away from the WacDonald's sign in order to glare at her.

"Maybe not," she admitted. "But it was the start of everything."

"And what's everything?" InuYasha pushed open the door and they walked inside, joining the large line in front of them.

"Well, I don't know, what do you think everything is?" Kagome retorted. "I mean some is obviously stuff that I can't mention in public." InuYasha's expression grew concerned at her words.

"You're-you're still okay with that, right?" he inquired nervously.

"I have no problem with it whatsoever," Kagome assured him. "You need to stop worrying so much."

"Right," he agreed, and then considered something. "So, I'm paying for the both of us, correct?"

"Well, I don't know. If you do that, then you'll have to admit that this is a date, won't you?" she teased. InuYasha's eye twitched. "Tell you what," she offered. "I'm going to pay for myself either way, whether you like it or not, so you don't have to make up your mind _quite_ yet."

"I'm supposed to pay, though," InuYasha objected obstinately.

"I think you can deal with it for today." She smiled and patted his arm reassuringly.

.~*~.

The pair ended up spending most of the day out. After lunch, they went to see a movie, which Kagome declared was not nearly scary enough and InuYasha concurred with, and then spent the rest of the afternoon simply wandering around.

"Hey, what's this place?" Kagome asked, spying a store full of trinkets that was just screaming to be explored.

"I dunno," InuYasha shrugged.

"Well, let's go inside!" she told the hanyou, pulling him through the door. "Whoa," she breathed in amazement at the sheer amount of stuff jammed inside the tiny shop.

"I don't know if I've ever seen so much shit," InuYasha added, earning himself a whack from Kagome. He rubbed his chest with an injured expression and shot her a dirty look, but she paid no attention.

"I think I _need_ to buy something," she mused to herself. "Just so I can say that I did."

"Well, if you want, I'll pay."

"Really?" Kagome looked at him curiously, a mischievous glimmer in her eyes.

"Yep," he nodded, feeling slightly proud of himself.

"And it can be _anything_ I want?" she continued.

"Sure..." Why did he feel like he'd regret this?

"Excellent," she grinned evilly. Now he was completely sure that he'd regret it.

"Quick!" she proclaimed suddenly, causing InuYasha to jump involuntarily. "Weirdest thing you can find! Winner...gets to be the winner!" With that, she dipped behind one of the displays, combing through the various knick-knacks. _Fucking crazy_, InuYasha thought, shaking his head, though he couldn't help but smile.

.~*~.

"So what do you have?" she interrogated him excitedly.

"Uh, a wind-up dancing leprechaun," he replied, placing it on the counter and twisting the small knob on its back, which caused the contraption to spring to life and perform an Irish jig.

"Huh. That is odd," Kagome concurred. "But I think I may have outdone you this time."

"Oh, really?" InuYasha asked cockily, raising an eyebrow.

"Really," she stated matter-of-factly, and then revealed what she had been hiding behind her back.

"What the-what the hell is that?" he asked, squinting at the object she held before him.

"It took me a while to figure it out," she confessed. "But I have determined it to be a walrus pen."

"That looks like Jabba the Hut," he laughed.

"I know," Kagome beamed, looking down fondly at the moulded brown plastic. "See, you push down this flipper to make the nib come out," she explained, doing as she described and causing the pen-part to pop out of the walrus's tail. "And then this flipper...wait for it."

"What?" InuYasha prodded, confused, but then an overly jolly, disembodied voice that sounded like nightmare-Santa Claus mixed with a deranged clown emitted from the walrus.

"Hi, kiddies!" it proclaimed.

"Holy hell. That may be the creepiest thing I have ever heard, and I share a house with my father." Kagome giggled. "All right, you win."

"Hoorah!" she cheered and InuYasha took out his wallet, bemused.

.~*~.

"Hi, kiddies!"

"Stop pressing that."

"Hi, kiddies!"

"Stop pressing that."

"Hi, kiddies!"

"Stop. Pressing. That."

"Hi, kiddies!"

InuYasha slapped his forehead in frustration.

"Oh, come on. It's cute!" Kagome waved the walrus in his face, pressing down the flipper again.

"Would you stop with the innocent act?" he pleaded in desperation. "And maybe, just maybe, also stop pressing that?"

"You need to lighten up," she pouted.

"I'll lighten up when you stop being annoying," InuYasha muttered. Kagome gasped, feigning outrage.

"How dare you, sir!" she seethed, shaking her finger at the hanyou. "I will have you know that such disrespect will not be tolerated!"

"Milady, I am deeply sorry," he apologized, dropping to one knee before her and grasping her hand in his own. "Can you ever forgive me for my terribly heinous act?" It took all of InuYasha's restraint not to burst out laughing at the look of shock on Kagome's face. Two could play at her little game.

"Well, I-I suppose so," she stammered, taken aback. "However, you will...you will have to promise to me a favour, one that I may call upon to use at anytime," she demanded, regaining her composure.

"Oh, thank you ever so much," he lilted, standing up and hugging Kagome. "Your generosity will not go unheeded!" He pulled back to stare her in the face, grinning like an idiot. Her expression of shock turned to one of anger, and she whacked him for the second time that day.

"You jerk!" she fumed. "I actually thought you had gone off the deep end!"

"The look on your face was priceless," InuYasha told her between gales of laughter. "It was totally worth making a fool out of myself for." She glared at him, arms crossed, tapping her foot.

"I'm not amused."

"What, so you can go around acting insane, but I'm not allowed to?" he questioned her in mock-disappointment. "For shame, Kagome, for shame."

"Oh, shut up," she retorted.

"Can't come up with anything better than that?" 'I know I'm right' was written all over his face, so Kagome just settled for another glare.

.~*~.

"Hey, can we go in there?" InuYasha asked her, snapping Kagome out of her funk. She appraised the building they had stopped in front of in puzzlement.

"This is a restaurant, though. We already ate," she protested.

"I don't want to go in to eat," he informed her as if it was common knowledge. "I just need to talk to someone."

"Okay," she obliged, shrugging. They walked inside, InuYasha questioning a passing waitress about something while Kagome stared around the purple and beige interior, craning her neck to look at the detailing in the mahogany beams on the ceiling. She snapped back to attention as the waitress pointed to someone then beckoned. After a few moments, a rather bubbly girl with her hair done up in a somewhat lopsided fashion bounced up to them, looking confused when she saw InuYasha.

"Hi, Rin," he greeted her. "I just wanted to come by and apologize for my brother not calling you. See, he lost your number, and he would have been in contact with you personally, except he's just been _so_ caught up in his studies at the university that he hasn't had the time."

"But...I go to Tokyo U, too," she protested. "He could have easily found me there and said something."

"Well, that Sesshoumaru..." InuYasha stalled, thinking up an excuse. "You know, he's just...he's just so...formal. He thinks, you know, that school isn't time for personal matters, so he wouldn't bring it up then."

"Oh, okay!" Rin cheered up instantly. "That explains a lot. I always say hi to him, but he usually just grunts or ignores me."

"Yeah, it's a silly little quirk of his," InuYasha agreed. "But I have his number right here, so I can give it to you and then you can call him. It'll probably be a lot easier." He pulled a piece of paper out of his pocket and handed it to her.

"Great," she gushed. "I'll call him tonight! Oh, but I have to get back to work now."

"That's no problem. I just wanted to drop that off, is all."

"Well, thank you so much," she beamed, placing the scrap of paper in her pocket.

"Anytime," InuYasha replied, and then prodded Kagome, who was staring off into space. "Hello? Earth to Kagome? The aliens haven't gotten you yet, have they?"

"Oh, right!" she babbled nonsensically. "Are we going?" InuYasha nodded slowly, and then waved to the other girl.

"Bye, Rin. I hope to see you again soon," he winked.

"Sayounara!" she called happily, then skipped off back to her tables.

.~*~.

"You were lying to that girl, weren't you?" Kagome questioned InuYasha once they were outside.

"Perhaps," he shrugged. "But it was a nice thing to do."

"Somehow I get the feeling that you were more motivated by torturing Sesshoumaru. Would I be correct in assuming so?"

"Nah," he denied, though it certainly wasn't convincing. Kagome was about to berate him, but she was suddenly distracted by something up ahead.

"Is that what I think it is?" she exclaimed excitedly, jumping up and down.

"Huh?" InuYasha looked at her strangely.

"It is!" she continued, ignoring him. "It's a fountain!" She ran off ahead, hurriedly pulling out her purse to find as many coins as she possibly could. InuYasha was left standing there wondering just what the hell was wrong with her when a thought struck his mind.

"No, Kagome!" he yelled. "Don't go near the fountain!"

.~*~.

"I told you not to go near the fountain," InuYasha reminded her smugly as she wrung out one of her socks.

"Shut up. Besides, only my shoes got wet."

"You're a total klu-" Kagome cut him off with a devastating glare.

"Don't even say it," she warned.

.~*~.

"Shh," InuYasha hushed Kagome as they entered his house. "If we're quiet, we may escape unscathed."

"Okay," she whispered back, and started to take off her shoes.

"Sit down and do it!" InuYasha ordered. "Jeez, I'm amazed you're not in a full-body cast by now."

"Fine," she muttered, and did as he said.

"Good, now let's go." They snuck up the stairs and hurried into his room, not realizing that everyone was fully aware that they were back. "Hah, did it," InuYasha grinned, and Kagome smiled back. Then InuYasha glanced out the window, and the time sank in.

"What's wrong?" she asked, noticing his sudden change in demeanour.

"The sun's going to set soon," he said with a sigh, gesturing to outside.

"Oh."

"You should probably go. It's not really something you want to stick around for."

"Actually, I meant to ask you about that yesterday; I was just kind of distracted with everything else. When I saw it happen, it seemed like you were in pain and not really...I don't know..._there_, I guess." She paused for a moment, collecting her thoughts. "So, I suppose I'm wondering what it's like."

"Hell," InuYasha admitted truthfully.

"Really?" A concerned expression fell over Kagome's face.

"Yeah, it's a curse; it's not supposed to be fun. I'm used to it, though...well, as used to it as you can get."

"Are you going to be okay?" she wondered.

"I'll be fine, Kagome," he replied, bemused. "I've been putting up with this since I was born. It's nothing new."

"Gosh, that must have been awful."

"I don't really remember any of it, so it's not like I can say for sure." _Lie._

"Well, I'm staying," she told him obstinately, plopping herself down on his bed.

"I'd prefer it if you didn't."

"Your parents invited me to have dinner here, though, so I might as well."

"Wait outside, then."

"Why?"

"Because, it's...it's...damn it, why are you so fine with all of this, anyway?" he snapped. All he wanted was for her to leave. He didn't want to appear weak and foolish in front of her, as he knew he would be soon.

"What do you mean?" she inquired, puzzled.

"I mean that this is not something you should be accepting so easily! You shouldn't be wanting to stay with me; you should be wanting to get the hell away from me!"

"InuYasha, I really don't understand."

"What is there to not understand? It's pretty damn clear...fuck," he groaned, dropping to a crouching position and grasping his head.

"Oh!" Kagome exclaimed, rushing over to his side, her brown eyes filled with worry. "Is this it? Is it happening right now?" InuYasha nodded, gritting his teeth, and then let out a moan as the sun dipped lower. He clenched his fists, causing tiny pinpricks of blood to form as his claws began to come in. He opened his mouth in one last protest, one last plea for her to leave, but then the rest joined the party: his eyes, his teeth, his ears. Basically, his whole damn head was rearranging it itself, changing, and suddenly, he didn't care about looking like a fool any longer. He leaned into Kagome, panting, as his mind fogged over and his senses cut out for a time he couldn't determine before coming back into crisp focus.

InuYasha opened his eyes and realized that his head was in Kagome's lap while the rest of him was curled up on the floor, aside from his left hand, which had carved a new set of claw marks into the hardwood. He felt something wet on the back of his neck, and the smell of salt in the air was strong. He looked up slowly, not wanting to see what he knew he would.

"Hi," he murmured weakly, pushing himself up, but he barely even got the chance to do so before Kagome threw her arms around him, pulling him into an embrace.

"I'm so sorry," she managed between sobs.

"Don't be," he said quietly, wondering how absolutely pathetic he must have been while he was out of it in order for her to have become this upset, along with being baffled that she was upset at all.

* * *

><p><strong>AN:** *Cough cough* I'm a sap *cough cough*. :D I'm just going to jump into thank you's now.

xxbeautyxisxlifexx, LiveInColor,

InuKag01234- Yeah, that's why the whole 'no pain' thing for his transformations applies more in the anime/manga. In here he doesn't want it to be happening (for now...), so, yeah, even though we don't really see it, that's why I'm going with it (plus, as dear Yasha says, it's a curse). And lol, shits and giggles. XD,

Pony Juice- Well, thank you! I was wondering if I was doing a good job of writing for him, since I am not a male half-demon. :P,

StevieWonderboyx, 1411alexis, MissG2020, and brea.

Anyway, thanks so much to all my reviewers. You guys are **hilarious**. I barely stopped laughing yesterday. :P Oh, and if anyone wants to know: I ate the cookies. They were delicious. ;)


	12. A Night In

**Disclaimer:** Who says I own InuYasha? Certainly not me.

**A/N:** Sorry, I know I said Friday. I'm a liar. :P I had a minor family emergency, visiting relatives, and an annoying case of writer's block. Plus, once I got over said writer's block, the chapter turned out to be _way_ longer than I thought it would, so I suppose that makes up for it (along with the ear-molesting and shirtless-ness that's to come). ;)

* * *

><p><strong>As Day Turns to Night<strong>

**Chapter 12-A Night In**

"Hey, Mom?" InuYasha ventured as he headed into the kitchen.

"Yes, dear?" she replied, looking a little concerned at his tone of voice.

"I know you and Dad probably wanted to bother Kagome even more at dinner tonight, but would it possible for us to eat upstairs? She's...um...she's a little emotional right now."

"I guess so," Izayoi replied slowly. "Is everything all right? You didn't hurt the poor girl's feelings, did you?" she inquired, her eyes narrowing.

"No, nothing like that," he answered sincerely.

"Okay," she relented, handing over their dishes. "Don't make a mess."

"We'll try our hardest," InuYasha smirked and then ran back to his room. "Back," he said softly, tapping on his door as Kagome looked up at him, "And I brought food," he announced triumphantly, holding up his bounty with a slight grin. She just nodded slightly, and, his brow furrowing, InuYasha went to sit on the bed beside her. "Really, Kagome, it's fine," he assured her.

"It is not," was her stubborn reply as she took her food from him. "You shouldn't have to go through that; no one should. Especially not every night!"

"Mornings, too," he admitted.

"What?" she exclaimed, her face filled with horror.

"Well, I have to change back, don't I? It's not as bad, though, and I never need to set an alarm," he joked.

"It's not fair, though," Kagome protested.

"Have you ever heard the saying that life isn't fair?"

"Yeah, but that's about stuff like tests and not getting what you want for your birthday, not this!"

"Well, there's nothing that can be done about it," InuYasha informed her gently.

"Sure there is."

"Like what?"

"I don't know. I'm sure we can figure out a way."

"Really?" he laughed. "You intend to break a centuries-old curse?"

"Why not?" she asked obstinately.

"Nothing, just...good luck with that."

She sat there pouting for a moment, lost in thought. "Hey, can I ask you something?"

"Shoot," InuYasha replied, his mouth full of rice.

"What was that weird pulsing around you?"

"Huh?"

"You know, when you transformed," she elaborated. "It was like the air was throbbing, or something."

"Oh, that was my aura; it does that when I change. It's cool that you can see that. Some people can't."

"Well, I'm supposed to be a miko-in-training."

"Really?" InuYasha asked, surprised.

"Yep. You can tell I don't pay attention to most of my grandpa's lessons, though," she giggled, and then an idea came to mind. "Hey!" she yelled, making InuYasha cringe and his ears flatten back against his head. "What if I work really hard at my training, and then maybe I'll be able to purify you!"

InuYasha mulled this over for a minute. "I suppose that could work, but I've never heard of a miko nowadays who could do that. There may have been ones back in my ancestor's time, though he probably would have tried going to them and then found out that they weren't able to break the curse. Either that, or he was really stupid and didn't even think of doing that, in which case I'd like to go back in time and kick his ass." He paused for a minute. "So...are you not okay with this, then?" Kagome rolled her eyes.

"Hey, dummy," she said, flicking his shoulder, making him rub his arm and give her a withering look. "How many times am I going to have to tell you this? I. Am. Fine. With. It." Kagome grinned and knocked on his head. "It sure takes a while for information to get through there, doesn't it? Must be because it's so thick," she teased. He brushed her hand away, grumbling to himself. "The only issue I have is seeing you in pain. Other than that, I don't mind. Especially since you look so darn cute."

"What?"

"Well, come on. Those ears are adorable," she smiled. InuYasha looked at her like she'd grown another head. "They are!" Kagome insisted. "Plus, they're entertaining to watch. They move," She stared up at them intently.

"Of course they move; they're mine," he replied flatly.

"I get that, but it's just...I don't know; it's neat to see." She looked down for a moment, fiddling with her hands, then opened her mouth as if to speak but closed it again.

"You were going to ask me something," he surmised.

"Never mind, it's nothing."

"Spit it out," InuYasha insisted.

"Um...can I touch them?" she requested.

"No," he objected, his ears folding back. Kagome squealed in delight, and he cringed once more. "Could you not do that?" he barked.

"Oh, sorry, right," she blushed. "That was just really cute." He sighed in frustration, setting his rice to the side, leaning forward and placing his head in his palms. He rubbed his face for a few moments, but then stopped abruptly when he felt his left ear being stroked.

"Did I not just tell you not to do that?" InuYasha ground out between clenched teeth.

"It's amazing, though. I mean...that's really a part of you!" she beamed.

"And did I not just tell you that? Fuck, you say I'm thick," he muttered.

"Oh, you swore," Kagome observed disappointedly. "You know what that means? Extra ear rubs!" she declared gleefully.

"Hell no, bitch!" he growled jokingly, pushing her back onto the bed so she was lying down then leaning over top of her in triumph, his golden eyes sparkling with mirth.

"Oh, you did not just call me that," she scolded him, and InuYasha gulped as the word that had left his mouth sunk in.

"Kagome, I-I," he stammered, but she cut him off.

"That had better be a term of endearment, dog-boy," she grinned, and all thoughts of apologizing flew out of his mind.

"Dog-boy?" he bellowed, making Kagome giggle.

"Hey, it's either that or I get really, _really_ mad at you for what you just said, like I should, and nag you incessantly for the next week." InuYasha considered his options for a moment.

"Dog-boy it is, then," he agreed, and she giggled again. He then realized that they were extremely close. Extremely. Fucking. Close.

"InuYasha?" she inquired, snapping him back into reality.

"Yeah?" he replied, blushing.

"I can't really sit up when you're on top of me like this."

"Oh, sorry," he apologized hastily, blushing even more.

"You know, when someone tells you something like that, it's usually your cue to move," she reminded him. He pulled back quickly, sitting back down and jostling the food, his face now stained completely red. "You're a goof," Kagome smiled.

"Really?" he mumbled.

"Yep."

"People usually say I'm the opposite of that," InuYasha muttered.

"Well, you may be able to pull the wool over their eyes with the whole 'serious' act, but I'm much more perceptive than that. I know the truth," she winked.

"Then how come you didn't know what was up with me sooner?" he posed jokingly.

"You mean that you get these cute little ears each night, among other things?" He gave her a look that indicated he wasn't amused. "Let's see...I knew something was different about you, seriously. I just couldn't figure out what."

"Good for you," he praised her. "Maybe you're a better miko than you thought." InuYasha winked.

"Possibly," she mused, tweaking one of his ears. InuYasha's face fell.

"You take way too much enjoyment in that."

"Just a tad," Kagome laughed, motioning with her thumb and index finger to illustrate.

"You're also the reining mood-swing champion," he smirked.

"Actually, no. I think that title would have to go to you. You have more ups and downs than an elevator."

"Oh, that was so lame."

"I know," she smiled, "Here, let me try some other ones: um, rollercoaster, stock market...hot air balloon..."

"I think I get it," he interrupted.

"Are you sure, because I-ah!" she screamed suddenly as the room went completely dark.

"Holy hell!" InuYasha yelled, covering his ears. "Jeez, you're shrill."

"Sorry, that just freaked me out," Kagome explained.

"I realized."

"What's happening?" she asked worriedly.

"I'm not exactly sure," he replied. He could hear the startled cries of neighbours in surrounding houses wondering the exact same thing, proving that the blackout was affecting more than just his house. "Here, follow me downstairs," he told her, sticking his hand out.

"And how am I supposed to do that?" she inquired, causing InuYasha to roll his eyes, grab her hand and place it in his.

"Now stand up. It's okay, you're fine. No need to act like you're balancing on a tightrope over a pit of spikes."

"Thanks for the mental picture," Kagome scoffed sarcastically.

"My pleasure," he said. "Okay, good, you're up. That was only slightly painful. Now we get to journey..." InuYasha paused for dramatic effect, "downstairs!"

"Hoorah," she replied dully.

"No worries. Night vision," he stated simply, tapping at his luminescent eyes.

"Oh, right!" Kagome remembered, reassured. She allowed herself to be led to the landing before the stairs, at which point she was abruptly swept up into InuYasha's arms with a squeak. "What are you doing?"

"You're a klutz. Do you think I'm going to let you walk down stairs in the dark?"

"That might not be the best idea," she admitted, and allowed herself to be carried down. When they arrived in the dining room they were greeted with cheers, apparently from nowhere to Kagome, though InuYasha could clearly see his family gathered around the table.

"Many congratulations to the happy couple," his father grinned.

"Look at you," his mother gushed. "So gallant."

"Mom, you can't even see us." InuYasha rolled his eyes.

"No, but I just know these things. It's intuition. Plus, your father told me."

"I'm a very good describer," Inu no Taisho winked.

"See, like I said before," InuYasha stage-whispered to Kagome. "Creepy." She giggled, and his father looked putout. Meanwhile, Sesshoumaru was just sitting there, glaring at all of them.

"This is cool," Kagome said as InuYasha set her down. "All I can see are these glowing eyes. It's like being in a room full of cats." Izayoi and Inu no Taisho burst out into laughter, while InuYasha shook his head and Sesshoumaru grew even more miffed at the whole situation.

"So, do any of you know what's happening?" InuYasha asked.

"Not a clue," his father replied.

"I should probably call my mom," Kagome informed InuYasha. "She may be worried."

"Right. I'll go get my phone," he offered, and hurried back upstairs.

"So..." Kagome started, feeling a little awkward, "being a demon must be pretty useful at times like this."

"It has its advantages," Inu no Taisho agreed.

"Here," a voice suddenly spoke in her left ear, and she shrieked, causing collective winces around the room.

"Don't sneak up on me like that!"

"I wasn't sneaking!" he shouted back. "Shit, you're making my..."

"InuYasha," his mother warned.

"...Ears bleed," he finished.

"Barbarian," Sesshoumaru muttered.

"F-off, Sesshy."

"If you call me that one more time, I swear you won't live to see tomorrow."

"Wow, you sure have me scared, _Sesshy_," InuYasha sneered.

"That's it," Sesshoumaru vowed, getting up and walking over to where his half-brother stood. He grabbed the hanyou by his shirt and started dragging him out of the room towards the door.

"Hey! Just what the hell do you think you're doing?" InuYasha yelled in outrage, trying to reach around his back to remove Sesshoumaru's grip on his shirt.

"I'm taking out the trash," he responded coldly.

"Should we do something?" Kagome asked worriedly.

"They're big boys; they'll be fine," Izayoi reassured the girl, nonchalantly flipping her hand in dismissal, though only one person in the room could see it. "You just call your mother."

"Right," she resolved, and began dialling the number. "I really need to get a new phone," she remarked.

"What happened to your old one?" Izayoi inquired curiously.

"Well," Kagome paused. "Don't tell InuYasha this, but I _may_ have dropped it down a rather long flight of stairs." She then put the phone up to her ear and waited as it began to ring.

"Why would she not want us to tell him that?" Inu no Taisho questioned his wife quietly, who merely shrugged in return.

"Hi, Mom?" Kagome said into the mouthpiece.

"Oh, hi, dear," her mother replied from the other side of the line. "I'm glad to hear from you. Is the power out there too?"

"Yeah," she nodded.

"Oh, my. How are you going to get home?"

"I'm not really sure about that one," she answered uncertainly, heading out into the front, where through the window all she could see was darkness (though, if she had been able to see, she most likely would have noticed Sesshoumaru attempting to stuff InuYasha in a trashcan as he struggled to get back into the safety of the house). "All the streetlights are out, and I was planning on walking."

"Would one of InuYasha's family members be able to give you a ride?"

"I don't know. Let me check," she told her mom as she entered the dining room again. "Um, Mr. and Mrs. Takahashi? Would I be able to get a ride home?"

"Well, normally that wouldn't be a problem, except our cars are electric, and..." Inu no Taisho trailed off.

"They're out of juice?" Kagome asked disappointedly. Inu no Taisho nodded.

"I had just plugged mine in to charge, Sesshoumaru as well. I'm afraid they aren't much use at the moment. Although, maybe..."

"Maybe what?" she wondered.

"I was just thinking that InuYasha could give you a ride, but that would probably raise some questions he wouldn't be comfortable with answering."

"How could InuYasha give me a ride?"

"Oh, he's very fast when he's a demon" Izayoi explained. Kagome made a sound of understanding, then realized that her mother was still on the line.

"Uh, yeah, Mom?"

"Are you able to get a ride?"

"No, it doesn't look like it. They only have electric cars..."

"And the power's out; of course," her mother finished for her. "Well, would you be able to wait there for a while longer? Hopefully it will come back on soon."

"What if it doesn't?"

"We have a couple of spare rooms upstairs," Inu no Taisho offered. She looked at him in puzzlement, wondering how he knew what her mother was saying, and he simply responded,

"Ears." Kagome smacked her forehead. _Right._

"Mr. Takahashi said that they have spare rooms."

"Would they be okay with you staying there?"

"We would," InuYasha's father informed her pleasantly. Kagome relayed the message to her mother.

"They're okay with it. Are you okay with it?"

"Oh, of course. From what I remember they're lovely people."

"From what you remember?" she inquired, confused.

"Yes. I believe I met them...my, it must have been before you were born. Time sure does fly," she laughed.

"Huh." She was about to question her mother further but suddenly there was the sound of a scuffle on the other line.

"Kagome, I have to go now," her mother whispered furtively. "I'm hiding in the broom closet right now. Grandpa almost caught me on the cell phone, and you know how he feels about them."

"Oh, all right."

"Sorry, honey. Hopefully you'll be able to make it home, but if not that's fine, as well."

"Okay, Mom. I love you."

"I love you too. Oh, and try not to be an imposition."

"I will. Bye."

"Bye, sweetie." Kagome hung up the cell phone, then looked toward where the Takahashi's were supposedly sitting. "Apparently you met my mother a long time ago."

"Did we?" Inu no Taisho mused. "I can't remember. If it was before you were born, then it's not surprising," he chuckled.

"Yes, you can be quite the scatterbrain. Speaking of that, are you ever going to go light some candles for us humans like I asked you to?" Izayoi clucked.

"Right," he said sheepishly, and went to rummage through some drawers.

"We visited a lot of shrines in the hopes for a cure," Izayoi explained once her husband had scurried off. "I'm sure we probably went to yours, since it is fairly close. I must confess, though, my memory is not the best either."

"Oh, that makes sense." Kagome nodded, then she was suddenly struck by the absence of the two brothers. "Hey, where did InuYasha and Sesshoumaru go?"

"They're outside," Inu no Taisho called from the darkness. "I can hear them fighting still, though I can't make out what they're saying."

"Outside?" she gaped.

"Oh, don't worry, they'll be fine," he assured her. "No human can see out there right now, and if one did come along with a light or something of the like they would easily hear the person and come back in. However, InuYasha might appreciate being rescued. I'm not exactly sure what Sesshoumaru's doing to him, but it probably isn't good," he finished, entering the room with a couple of candles.

"Light!" Izayoi clapped.

"Thank you very much." Inu no Taisho bowed. "I'm here all week."

.~*~.

"Sesshoumaru, if you don't let me go I swear I'll..."

"You'll what? You're hardly a threat," he countered. "You can't even free yourself. Pathetic."

"Shut the fuck up. I could take you down anytime. Unfortunately, murder is illegal," InuYasha retorted.

"I know; it's quite the shame. That's why I'm trying to do the world a favour. If I can't kill you directly, the least I can do is send you off to the incinerator."

"InuYasha? Sesshoumaru?" Kagome called from the door. "Are you out there?"

"Oh, is the girl coming to fight your battle now?" Sesshoumaru taunted. InuYasha merely growled but focused on freeing himself.

"Hey," Kagome said, jogging up to the two with a flashlight in her hand that Inu no Taisho had given her. "You should probably both come inside now."

"I'm trying," InuYasha grumbled. Just then, he felt the back of his shirt go slack.

"Whoa!" Kagome exclaimed. "What was that crazy green glow?"

InuYasha's face fell. "You didn't."

Sesshoumaru shrugged. "You wanted me to let go."

"What's happening?" Kagome asked, confused.

"He melted my damn shirt." InuYasha turned around, showing her his back.

"Oh my gosh," she marvelled at the hole in the fabric. "How is that even possible?"

Sesshoumaru demonstrated for her, forcing the poison acid into his claws.

"Fuck!" InuYasha yelped, ripping his shirt off suddenly.

"What?" Kagome cried, startled.

"The acid that's still on his shirt is melting his flesh," Sesshoumaru stated simply. "If he was smart, he would have realized this much sooner and taken it off, thus preventing what will now be a rather nasty burn."

"Eww," she grimaced.

"Sesshoumaru, you're the fucking devil," InuYasha muttered, picking up his shirt which he had thrown on the ground in his panic and wrinkling his nose at the smell of his singed hair, as some of it had unfortunately touched the poison as well.

"We should probably go inside," Kagome suggested. "And maybe get your back taken care of." InuYasha grunted his response.

"I heard quite the commotion out there," Inu no Taisho commented as they came inside, "Anything we should know about?"

"Just some second-degree burns. Nothing to worry about," InuYasha said sarcastically.

"Sesshoumaru, you should really stop doing that," his father advised him.

"You know where the ointment is, right, sweetie?" Izayoi asked her son.

"Unfortunately," InuYasha replied, and headed upstairs.

"That looks nasty," Kagome informed him as she followed him, shining the flashlight on his back.

"It's not the worst I've had," he admitted.

"Oh. So your parents are used to it, then?"

"Yeah. The first few times shit like this happened my mother freaked out, but after a while it just became sort of...'whatever'. Plus, I wouldn't be entirely honest if I said I hadn't done some damage to the prick myself."

"Any particular reason for the animosity?"

"Not sure," he said, going into the bathroom. "Familiarity breeds contempt, I suppose." He then opened the drawers in the counter, rifling through an assortment of bottles and containers until he found the one he was looking for. She leaned back against the wall, watching his form in the dim-lighting. She was sure glad it was dark, otherwise, it might have been hard for her not to stare at the shirtless hanyou in front of her. "Got it," he announced, holding the tube up in his clawed fingers. It was at that point he realized he couldn't exactly reach the middle of his back. "Uh, I'm going to need some help," he mumbled, thankful for the lack of light as well. It would be pretty hard for her to see him blush in the dark.

"Oh, okay!" she blurted, then immediately started worrying about if she'd come off as too eager. He handed her the tube and then turned around, lifting up his silver hair so it wouldn't get in the way. "So, I just...rub?"

"Yeah." _Fuck, this is awkward._

Kagome squeezed some of the ointment onto her hand, reaching out tentatively toward his back and emitting a small nervous giggle at the same time. InuYasha's ears perked at the sound and he looked back at her slyly. "What was that?"

"Nothing," she replied defensively, blushing.

"What, do you like what you see?" he asked with a smirk, suddenly feeling less awkward.

"I can't see anything," she replied flatly.

"Ouch," he laughed.

"You know, I prefer giving ear rubs to doing this," she winked.

"Oh, shut up."

.~*~.

"Do you think he needs any help?" Izayoi wondered downstairs.

"No, from what I can hear he's getting plenty of help," Inu no Taisho chuckled.

.~*~.

"Well, this is your room," InuYasha showed Kagome, his hands behind his head.

"I can't really see, but I'm sure it's lovely," she smiled, shining her flashlight in.

"Oh, and there's another bathroom at the end of the hall. Just a toilet or whatever."

"Okay."

"Sorry you had to spend the entire night with my family," he apologized.

"No, board games in the dark were fun," she assured him. "Though I could have done without the cheating."

"Yeah, my dad's worse than a two-year-old," he explained, then stood there for another moment. "So, um, night."

"Goodnight," she replied, walked into her temporary room as InuYasha made his way down to the second floor. In the room she was relieved to find that the clock was battery-powered. She wasn't sure what time the sun rose at, but figured it was sometime before five in the morning, so she set it to four-thirty to be safe.

.~*~.

The irritating beeping shook Kagome from her slumber, along with a few other sensitive ears in the house who were happy to go back to sleep once she shut it off. She pushed the covers off her, yawning and feeling a little strange to be waking up in her normal clothes instead of pyjamas. She plodded over to the small window and looked out of it, gladly noting that the sun wasn't up quite yet but it looked like it would be soon. Heading out into the hallway, she took extra care to step quietly, not wanting to disturb anyone. When she opened InuYasha's door and peered inside she noted that he seemed to be sleeping rather peacefully, which was why she jumped slightly when he spoke.

"You know, it's probably not the best idea to be sneaking into other people's rooms," he informed her, his back still turned. "They might get the wrong impression."

"Sorry," she whispered. "It's just..."

"Don't worry, I know what you're doing. I don't suppose there's any chance I could get you to leave, is there." It didn't come across as a question since he already knew the answer.

"No chance at all," she replied, tiptoeing across his room.

"You're much too stubborn for your own good."

"So are you," she smirked.

"Nah," he joked. She sat down on the floor at the head of his bed, leaning up against his nightstand with her legs folded in front of her, arms wrapped around them. "You realize that there are still eight more minutes, right?" he inquired, leaning his head over the edge of the bed so he could look at her. "You're going to catch cold-slash-get a sore butt." She looked up at his molten golden eyes and the grin below them.

"I will not," she protested.

"Just come sit up here. Otherwise, when both of those things happen I'll never hear the end of it." Kagome gave him a sideways glance then climbed up like he instructed, adopting the same position that she'd had on the floor. InuYasha sat opposite from her, his legs crossed and his head being propped up by one hand. A large yawn escaped his lips and Kagome smiled at him.

"Tired?" He nodded slowly, his eyes only half-open. "Would an ear-rub help?" she suggested slyly. At the mention of that the ears in question flattened against his head and he glared at her.

"No, thanks."

"Too bad," she sighed. "It would be a good way to pass the remaining..."

"Six minutes," he filled in for her automatically.

"Jeez, you're better than a clock."

"It's what I do."

"Are you sure about the no ear-rub thing?" she asked hopefully after another minute.

"You need help," he told her dully.

"Don't we all?" Kagome smirked. He lay back down with a sigh, folding his arms behind his head. "Is it starting?" She bit her lip nervously, edging toward him.

"Getting there," he replied, lifting up his rosary to show her that it was indeed beginning to glow. She noticed that as his hands were shaking slightly as he did so. "I hope you're not going to cry again. I appreciate the concern and all, but I'm not a big fan of crying."

"I can't make any promises," she said truthfully.

"Of course not," he smiled, his eyes closed. Even though he couldn't see her he could still hear her moving closer, and she watched as his ears twitched, picking up the rustling of the duvet.

Kagome looked at his clock. "So...three minutes now?" InuYasha nodded in response. He appeared amazingly calm to her, though his muscles were tense and his breathing had sped up. Another minute ticked by, and she grabbed his hand as she began to see the pulse beat around him.

"Kagome..." he started to object.

"None of that," she interrupted. "You're always getting in your own way. A little kindness won't kill you." He shook his head at her but didn't let go. She sat there and watched as his hair started to turn black, his eyes squeezing tighter as his claws and fangs shortened. He gritted his teeth and groaned while his canine ears disappeared and human ones formed in their normal spot.

Kagome's eyes widened. The last two times she had been so distracted with first figuring out what was going on and then vainly trying to take his pain away. Actually watching it like this was...well, she wasn't sure what it was, but she felt certain that she'd never see another sight that compared to this one. As his form regained its human features he relaxed, his grip slackening. He lay there for a few moments more, not moving, then opened his eyes.

"See? Not so bad," he murmured then sat up, taking Kagome's face in his hands and brushing a tear away from her eye. "You need to stop doing that," he chastised her gently.

"No promises," she smiled.

* * *

><p><strong>AN:** Hey, does it count as research if I stayed up all night and watched the sun rise (I'm an insomniac :P)? I tried to do research about what would happen during a blackout, but all I could find were pages about the blackouts that were actually happening/scheduled to happen in Japan due to the earthquakes since that's still really recent, so I'm sorry if I am really inaccurate. Please feel free to correct me. Now *drum roll*: it's thank you time! :D

LiveInColor, xbeautyxxisxxlifex, Lionsheart13371, 1411alexis, StevieWonderboyx, and SilverStella.

So read, review, enjoy, and in the meantime, be excellent to each other, and party on, dudes. :)


	13. Mistakes In the Present and In the Past

**Disclaimer:** In Soviet Russia, I don't own InuYasha, InuYasha owns me...yeah, I'm running out of ideas. :P

**A/N:** Sorry, sorry, sorry for taking so long! I was away for a week, back but I had writer's block, and then away for a week again. So sorry. :P But it's finally here, and it's lo-ong, to make up for all the time I missed. It's also got quite a lot going on in it. Quite a lot.

* * *

><p><strong>As Day Turns to Night<strong>

**Chapter 13-Mistakes In the Present and In the Past**

InuYasha darted his head over his shoulder for about the fifth time that minute, checking for any approaching people, namely, one ebony-haired school girl with chocolate brown eyes and a penchant for sneaking up on him. However, classes were almost about to start, and there was no one entering the locker area, only kids leaving it. He furrowed his brow and shut his locker, walking away from it with a puzzled expression. It wasn't often that Kagome would pass up an opportunity to freak him the hell out, which happened more than he'd like to admit. Learning from past experiences wasn't something he usually put into practice.

He didn't see her as he headed down the hallway, and when he entered their classroom she wasn't anywhere in view. Taking his seat, he saw her friends chatting with each other a few desks over and considered going to ask them if they knew of Kagome's whereabouts, though he decided not to when they shot dirty glares at him. Confused, he turned away, trying to decipher why the girls were being so bitchy. Then, after chewing on his pen for a moment, it dawned on him; they were under the impression that Kagome was still extremely pissed off at him. She had only forgiven him until they were out of school, and right before the weekend, so she must have not talked to them yet, meaning they still had in their minds the silent treatment he had received from her and had decided that they should be hostile as well to show support. InuYasha wondered if he'd be able to get anything out of them at lunch, but forced himself to look up to the front when the bell rang and the teacher entered the room, setting down her things and then beginning her lecture on boring-ass Social Studies. He yawned and rested his head in his hands, still a little concerned about his absent...friend.

.~*~.

"Hey, do you guys have any idea where-"

"Go away, please," Eri stated flatly, not even bothering to look up at InuYasha, who was standing before the group.

"Uh, I just wanted to ask you-" "Do you not understand human-speech?" Yuka glared up at him with angry dark eyes.

"Whoa, good to know you've taken your meds today," he snarled back and then stalked out of the room. There it hit him that that had probably not been the best thing to say. He sighed and decided to take his lunch outside. It would probably be best if everyone had some time to cool off.

.~*~.

InuYasha sat on the bench beneath the tree in the middle of the courtyard at the back of the school, picking at his bento absently. Possibilities for Kagome's absence ran through his head. She was probably sick, but she had seemed fine when she left his house yesterday, and he hadn't smelled anything off about her when he was half-demon. Maybe she could have gone on vacation, or a trip? But then she probably would have told him, or, as was her nature, babbled incessantly about it until he'd wanted to bang his head into a wall repeatedly. There could have been a family emergency. He hoped she wasn't the one behind it. If she was, it wouldn't have been surprising, since she was such a klutz, but that didn't do anything to help the churning in his stomach as his brain started to convince him something terrible had happened.

"Hey, InuYasha! Something wrong?" He looked up from his lunch to see Hojo standing before him with a confused expression on his face. Tucked beneath one of his arms was a stack of papers, while his other hand held a clipboard.

"Er, yeah. You wouldn't happen to know where Kagome is, would you?"

"Oh, no, I'm not sure. I haven't seen her today. Maybe she's sick," the other boy offered.

"Yeah, probably..." InuYasha trailed off.

"If she's sick then I should pick something up for her and bring it over. My mom always has the best remedies in her shop," Hojo mused, then snapped his fingers. "I have an idea! Would you like to come with me? That way you can find out if she's sick or not."

"Sure...thanks," he muttered. The tool managed to make it sound like he had come up with some revolutionary idea, or was doing him a favour or some shit.

"Great!" Hojo said happily. "I'll meet you out front at five. I have swim club today. Oh, and before I forget, here's a flyer." He handed one of the colourful papers to InuYasha, who reluctantly accepted it.

"What's this?" he asked suspiciously.

"Oh, it's just a notice about the dance the school council is trying to organize. We need more support, otherwise the school won't let us have it. It's a lot of work to put together, let me tell you. There are chaperones and tickets and music and decorations and food-"

"I get it," InuYasha interrupted.

Hojo beamed. "So we can count on you to attend, then?"

"Not very likely," InuYasha said. "I know this is a pretty hackneyed saying, but I don't dance."

"Of course you do!" Hojo protested. "Besides, it'll be a lot of fun. You can take a date, too. I was thinking of asking Kagome, myself."

InuYasha's eyes narrowed. "Really?" he ground out.

"Yep," the other boy replied brightly, oblivious to the sudden hostility. "I want to wait until I know it's for certain, though, and we need at least 500 people confirmed to come. So, do you want to change your mind?"

"No," InuYasha said, trying to keep his temper under control. He didn't like this sudden feeling of possessiveness. It nearly mirrored the one he had felt close to a week ago, when he had seen another guy's arms wrapped around Kikyo. It was disconcerting, to say the least.

"Well, that's really too bad," Hojo said, his face falling. "I guess I'll see you later, then."

"Guess so." InuYasha waited until the object of his rage had left the courtyard, then turned around and punched the tree, releasing his anger like a kettle blowing out steam. He regretted this, though, when the inevitable pain shot through his hand, and he clutched at it frantically as it started to bleed, scrunching his eyes closed. He managed to gasp out, "Holy fuck," before getting up and staggering off to the office, leaving his lunch and the flyer deserted by the tree.

.~*~.

"And how, exactly, did you say you did this?" the doctor asked as he inspected the x-rays of InuYasha's hand hanging up on the wall.

"I punched a tree," InuYasha mumbled. The doctor eyed him in puzzlement.

"You punched a tree?" he repeated slowly.

"Yeah," the boy admitted, slightly embarrassed.

"Any particular reason why, or did you just feel like disregarding all common sense?"

"I was pissed, all right?" he barked.

"You could do with learning a little more respect," the doctor told him sternly.

"Whatever," InuYasha grumbled.

"Well, you fractured your fourth and fifth metacarpals, which are bones in your palm that, broken, tell me you either don't have much experience punching or really weren't thinking, and the proximal phalanx in your small finger. Plus, we had to close up those cuts on your knuckles with liquid stitches."

"Lovely."

"Sarcastic one, are you? Anyway, we've put your hand in a splint and sling until it heals," the doctor continued, gesturing at InuYasha's hand, "which won't be for about six to eight weeks. You'll be able to take the splint off for showering and the like in the meantime, but only for short periods of time, understood?"

"Understood," InuYasha agreed gloomily. He had really fucked himself over this time. Even with him only being half-demon at night he would still heal within a few days. How the hell was he supposed to explain that?

"We'll have you come in about three weeks from now, and see how it's doing, okay?"

"Yep."

"Now I'm going to write you a prescription for some painkillers. Take two every four hours and you should be good pain-wise. Also, keep your hand elevated. And..." the doctor looked at his clipboard, "that should be it. Your mother's waiting outside."

"Thanks," he said, hopping off the examination table and opening the door with his left hand. His mother was indeed waiting outside with a stern expression and crossed arms, tapping her foot on the floor. InuYasha threw his good arm up in defeat. "What do you want me to say?"

"That you realize you need to learn to think your actions through before you do them?" Izayoi suggested, arching one of her eyebrows.

"Whatever," he shrugged. "So, aren't there like, forms to fill out, or something?"

"I've already taken care of that," his mother replied. "All there is to do is pick up your prescription, and then you can go home and figure out how you're going to explain your miraculous healing powers to everyone."

"Couldn't you take care of that for me too?" he asked tentatively.

"This is your mess, sweetie. You can figure it out. Now we should go home."

"I was kind of supposed to go see Kagome, though," InuYasha said, and went to check his watch, then realized he had taken it off and put it in his pocket after his hand had started swelling at school. He reached into his pocket with his left hand, taking out his rosary first, which he'd had an awkward argument with the x-ray technician about when he insisted she had to take it off, and handing it to his mother, pulling out his watch after he'd done that. He checked the time quickly and then slipped it back in. "I'm supposed to meet up with this dumb a...friend in an hour, and we were going to go see if she's home sick. She wasn't at school today."

"Well, I'm sure it's fine if Kagome sees your arm, but what about the other person? I was thinking that you'd not go to school until it healed and then pretend like your injury was nothing serious. If he or she sees, then what are you going to do?"

"Right," he acquiesced slowly. "I guess I won't go, then."

"Sorry, honey," Izayoi said consolingly, slipping the rosary over his neck and tucking it below the collar of his black uniform.

"It's fine," InuYasha assured his mother, "I'll go see her another time. She probably just has a cold, or something." Saying this didn't help quell his fears, though, and the thought of Hojo alone with Kagome gave him the urge to go punch something else. He sighed. Miroku was right; he did need help.

.~*~.

The window slid openly smoothly and quietly, and InuYasha thanked whatever was up there for giving him a small scrap of luck. Of course Kagome wouldn't lock her window. Never mind what nefarious people like himself could sneak in; she was immune to all. He chucked softly and then swung from the roof above the window where he had lain while he'd opened it into her room. Even with his dominant arm in a sling, it was a simple task for his hanyou body to accomplish. However, the red and black baseball cap he had been wearing dropped from his head as he did so, and he swore then jumped back out of her room to the ground to grab it. InuYasha shoved the hat back on his head firmly and then leaped back through her window, landing with a soft thud on the carpet.

He surveyed her room curiously, noticing that it was significantly girlie. Pink covers on her bed in the corner, a pink desk opposite from that, pastel yellow walls. It was all very...bright. But it was filled with her undeniable scent, something that his demon senses rather enjoyed.

InuYasha breathed in deeply as he sat down cross-legged on her bed and began his wait for the girl the scent belonged to. He could hear voices downstairs-three male and two female-Kagome's lilting, though slightly hoarse, tone ringing out above the rest, though he couldn't exactly make out what she was saying. Then his brain finished processing the information and the connotations it carried hit him. Unless her cat had suddenly gained the ability to talk, there should have only been two male voices, those of her grandfather and her brother (whose voice sounded pretty high-pitched and feminine to him, anyway). Damn. This wasn't good. He strained his ears in an attempt to decipher who it was, which was fairly hard since they were all the way on the other side of the house and there were a few walls and doors in the way, but he managed to confirm his suspicion. It was Hojo.

InuYasha flopped back on the bed with a groan, now fully certain that the open window was all the luck he was going to have tonight. Once again, his suspicions were confirmed as Kagome's voice and the male one he had identified as Hojo started to sound nearer.

"Shit!" he said under his breath as he searched for a place to hide. He tilted his head and hung upside down, peering under the bed. There was a fair bit of room under there. _As good a place as any_, he thought, and ducked beneath it, adjusting himself so his rapidly healing hand was comfortable. A thought crossed his mind about how pathetic it was that he was reduced to lying under a girl's bed like some creepy stalker (something he was sure Miroku wouldn't be opposed to) but he pushed it away. He lay there for a few moments, listening to the voices, accompanied by footsteps, drawing closer. The door opened, and Kagome entered trying to contain a bout of laughter. Hojo followed her.

"I'm so sorry about Souta," she apologized, walking over to her bed, a few giggles passing through her lips. "He doesn't usually draw such...creative pictures." InuYasha noted that her voice sounded gravelly, and she did smell a little ill.

"It could have done without the stink lines," Hojo said forlornly.

"Like I said, I'm really sorry. Little brothers, you know." She shrugged as she sat down on her bed. "I really did appreciate you coming over to check on me, though. That was very sweet."

"Oh, it was my pleasure," he replied, cheering up. "I hope the herbal tea helps."

"I'm sure it will," she smiled. "I'm extremely tired now, though."

"I understand. I'll see you tomorrow, hopefully?" Hojo asked plaintively as he made his way out the door.

"Hopefully," Kagome agreed. "Bye."

"Bye, Kagome!" he called back, heading down the hall. She leaned back onto her bed, spreading her arms out and sighing in relief. Her brow furrowed as she turned her head and saw that her window was open, but she didn't have time to dwell on it, as at that point came a muffled voice from under her bed.

"Kagome, is the door closed?"

"OH MY GOSH!" she screamed, bolting upright.

"Fuck, woman, calm down! It's me," InuYasha explained, inching himself out from beneath the bed. "Hi," he grinned, poking his face out like a turtle from its shell.

"You-" she gasped, "you are in so much trouble. You gave me a heart attack!"

"Just think of it as payback for all the times you've done the same to me," he said, pushing himself all the way out with his good arm.

"How'd you get in here?" Kagome interrogated him. "And what happened to your arm?"

"Window, and broke my hand punching a tree."

"Wha-why did you do that?" she asked him exasperatedly.

"I was pissed off and it was a stupid impulse, okay?" InuYasha stood up, brushing himself off, and sneezed a few times. It'd been dusty under there.

"Well, that's pretty obvious." She rolled her eyes, but then looked concerned. "You are okay, though, right?"

"Yeah, I'm fine. I heal pretty damn fast when I'm like this," he said, gesturing with his left arm to his transformed self. "However, that's a bit of a problem, since my hand will be fine in a few days, but it's not supposed to heal for six weeks at the least."

"Oh, shoot. What are you going to do?"

"Stay home for a few days so no one at school finds out, then probably bribe the doctor or something. It's amazing what money can do," he smirked, and then realized the door was still open and walked over to shut it.

"Aw, I'll miss seeing you at school," she told him, sounding downtrodden.

"Well _you_ weren't there today. What was that about?" He turned back from the door and looked at her questioningly.

"Sore throat," she said, rubbing at her neck. "You can probably tell. I sound very man-ish."

"No you don't. You sound very pretty," he reassured her, walking up to her and tilting her chin up toward his.

"Well, I guess I can trust those ears," she grinned, plucking the cap off his head and revealing his dog-ears, which twitched slightly.

"You're never going to let that go, are you?" he grumbled, his face falling.

"Nope." She reached up and tweaked one mischievously, bursting out into laughter at the glare InuYasha gave her which then turned into coughing.

"Shit, are you okay?" he asked worriedly, guiding her to her bed.

"Yeah, I'll be-I'll be fine," she croaked.

"Get some sleep, please," he pleaded, guiding her to her bed.

"It's only seven, though," she protested.

"I thought you said you were tired earlier?" Kagome looked at him in confusion for a moment and then smacked his left arm.

"I forgot you were being a creeper. And yes, I did, but only to get Hojo to leave. He was wearing out his welcome." If InuYasha'd had a tail to match his ears he wouldn't have been able to stop it wagging at that moment.

"Nevertheless," he started, trying to hide his pleasure, "you should still rest. It'll help you get better."

"Since when did you become my mother?" she complained, folding her arms and pouting.

"Just go to bed," he sighed. The mother statement was appropriate, since he certainly felt like he was dealing with a stubborn child. Except he would be a father. A very manly, tough father that didn't take any shit. Though sometimes it felt like he was being toyed with.

"Goodnight, InuYasha," she mumbled as she settled down under the covers.

"Night, Kagome," he replied softly as he made his way out the window.

.~*~.

InuYasha couldn't feel his hand hurting, but he popped a couple of painkillers like the doctor had said. Well, more than a couple, since he knew they wouldn't affect him the way they would a human. He couldn't see the harm in doing so, and he hoped that maybe they'd take the edge off his morning wake-up call. He shut off the bathroom light and meandered into his bedroom, glancing at the clock that blinked 1:30 A.M. at him. There was no school for him tomorrow, so there was no point in him going to bed at a decent hour, either. He pulled his duvet over him and took the sling and splint off of his hand. They were annoying him, and his hand would heal just fine without the damn things. He rubbed it and noticed that it felt a whole hell of a lot better already. Two more days and he'd be golden. He rolled over and closed his eyes, falling asleep much faster than he was used to.

.~*~.

"Michio, are you certain?" the dark-haired girl asked with barely contained excitement.

"Hai, I am. I want you to be my wife," he beamed.

"Oh, Michio, I'm so happy!" she exclaimed, swinging her arms around his neck and causing his shoulder-length, onyx hair to waver.

"As am I, Tsubaki."

"I will no longer be able to be a priestess, though," she mused forlornly.

"Are you all right with that?" Michio looked concerned, but she perked up.

"Hai, as long as I'm with you," Tsubaki replied sincerely, staring up into his violet eyes. The smile spread back across the man's face, and they embraced fondly in the clearing, the sun shining upon them.

.~*~.

That night the pair headed into a nearby village, searching for a place to stay before they departed the next morning. Michio wanted to inform his family of their engagement, and though Tsubaki was an orphan, she wanted to tell her master, who had raised her, as well. They acquired directions to the headman's house, as the plan was for Tsubaki offered her services to cleanse the village in exchange for a place to stay.

"I'm very sorry, but we already have a priestess in this village, so your services are not needed," the headman explained. "However, I'm sure we can find a room for you somewhere since it is only one night."

"That's extremely kind of you; we're both immensely grateful," Michio replied.

"It's no trouble," the headman assured him. "Now, come. Perhaps our priestess will be willing to share her accommodations with another miko."

The two followed him through the village, stopping at a modest hut near the edge of the forest.

"Here it is," the headman gestured, and entered the priestess's dwelling. "Ah, Lady Kikyo," the headman greeted the young woman in the centre of the room who was tending a small fire. "I'm glad I found you here. These travellers need a place to stay for the night, and I was hoping you could provide them with one." He gestured to Michio, who couldn't help but stare at the other woman, and Tsubaki as Kikyo stood up, dusting herself off.

"Well, you will notice that my hut is indeed very simple, but I would have no qualms whatsoever about providing you with shelter. My duty is, after all, to help," she informed them pleasantly.

"Thank you, from the bottoms of our hearts," Michio proclaimed, charmed by the priestess, and Tsubaki nodded in agreement.

"Good," the headman clapped. "I'm glad to see that everything worked out."

"Quite," Kikyo replied. "Now, I was just about to eat. Would you care to join me?" she asked Michio and Tsubaki.

"Very much so," Tsubaki agreed, and they sat down around the fire where Kikyo had been before while the headman bid his goodbyes and left.

"So, where are the both of you headed?" Kikyo inquired as she began serving their meal.

"We're off to go inform our loved ones of our engagement," Michio replied proudly and took Tsubaki's hand, though he felt a small twinge of doubt over his plans as he did so.

"Oh, how lovely," she smiled.

"Yes, we're both very excited," Tsubaki beamed.

"Well, I am even more delighted that I could assist you, then." She then paused and looked over Tsubaki, who wore a pair of red hakama and a white haori similar to her own. "Your garb suggests you are a priestess, though."

"I am, but I will renounce my title once we wed."

"I see," Kikyo mused, then sighed. "It is sad to see another priestess do so in these turbulent times, but I am unduly pleased that you have found each other. I give you my blessing."

"We appreciate that," Michio thanked her, still confounded by his new feelings and wondering why he suddenly felt so unsure of himself.

"Oh, it is nothing," she denied graciously. "Now, about sleeping arrangements. I have my room in the back, and will give the two of you bedding so you can sleep in here."

"That will be more than enough," Tsubaki assured her.

"Excellent," Kikyo replied, and they resumed eating.

.~*~.

Michio found himself plagued by sleeplessness as he lay on the floor next to his betrothed. Thoughts were swirling around in his mind, and they all seemed to have one thing in common: the priestess, Kikyo. Her face was entrancing. Images of her ivory skin, full, pouting lips, and sad brown eyes swam before him. He tried to shake the thoughts away, reminding himself that the woman he loved was right beside him, but they persisted. A deep, mournful sigh escaped his lips, and he found himself wondering if he had made the right decision.

.~*~.

"Lady Kikyo?" Michio ventured as he entered the clearing he had followed her to.

"Oh, Michio!" she exclaimed. "I'm sorry, I didn't even realize you were there. I was just about to bathe."

"It is no fault of yours, Lady Kikyo. I was purposely trying to stay hidden."

"And why would you do that?" she inquired, confusion plainly written on her face.

"Because..." he said nervously, "I have a question for you. It is a difficult one, though, one that I am not sure I should ask."

"What might that be?" Kikyo was still puzzled.

"Lady Kikyo, do you believe I made the right choice when I asked Tsubaki to become my wife?"

"Why-why would you ask me such a thing?" Her expression turned to one of bafflement, and Michio gulped.

"Because, Lady Kikyo, I think you may be the one I truly love," he admitted.

"I don't understand," she replied, shaking her head. "You've known me for but a day."

"When I first laid eyes upon you, I was struck by your beauty. Your whole manner; the way you carry yourself, your kindness, the elegance you naturally exude; is entrancing. I have not been able to get you out of my mind since. My heart is drawn to you in a way like no other."

"What do you want me to say to this, Michio?" Kikyo whispered, purposely avoiding his gaze.

"I want you to say that you felt it too, that instant connection; the one that means we are bound by fate, to be together forever."

"I cannot," she answered.

"Why?" Michio persisted, "Because you do not feel the same way, or because you do but you will not admit it?"

"It's wrong; you're engaged. Do you mean to tell me that you suddenly feel nothing for Tsubaki?"

"Of course I still have feelings for her, but they are not like the ones I have for you," he told her, stepping forward and cupping her cheek. "What if becoming engaged to her was simply fate's way to make us meet? Without her I would not have come to this village and met you. Did you not consider that?"

"Would fate really hurt someone like that, just to bring us together?" she questioned him unsurely.

"Perhaps, it is in the best interest for Tsubaki. Maybe now she will meet the one she is truly destined for, as well."

"Do you really believe that?" Her voice was quivering with anticipation, a torrent of feelings hidden behind it.

"I do," he replied sincerely, and brought his lips to meet hers, setting the tragic events that would follow in motion with a single kiss.

.~*~.

"I am deeply sorry, Tsubaki," Michio apologized.

"Why, though? I thought we were so happy together," she sobbed, tears streaming down her face.

"We were, and I will always treasure the time we spent together."

"Then why?" she wailed.

Michio sighed. "It pains me to say it, but I am in love with someone else."

"You-you're what?" she stammered.

"I cannot be with you any longer. It would not be fair to either of us," he explained, staring at the woman he had once loved with a mournful look.

"You said you'd always love me though!" she shouted, then crumpled to the ground, shaking with anguish. "I was willing to give up everything for you," she continued, her voice small. "So tell me: how is it that I would sacrifice so much, and you repay me with this?"

"I'm sorry, Tsubaki. I have to go now," he said, and turned away, not wanting to see her like this.

"Not if I have anything to do with it," she vowed, the determination returning to her voice.

"What-what do you mean?" Michio asked slowly, looking back at the priestess's huddled form. He gaped as a dark aura began to manifest around her, pulsing and throbbing like a kind of living being. He was paralyzed with fear for a moment, until a part of his brain screamed at him to run and he gladly obliged, trading the forest for the relative safety of Kikyo's hut.

.~*~.

A year passed, and Michio and Kikyo lived happily together. Michio had been concerned about Tsubaki at first, but Kikyo had assured him that she was still a priestess, so it went against her principles to harm him, and he came to believe this more and more as time passed. However, the dark aura that had surrounded his former fiancé and the hatred in he had heard in her voice were always lingering at the back of his mind.

.~*~.

"Koibito, what would you like me to prepare for dinner tonight?" Kikyo asked sweetly as she entered the hut after tending to an ill villager.

"Anything you wish. As long as you make it, I'm sure it will be delicious." Michio smiled at her, and she returned it, though afterwards a troubled look crossed her face.

"The sun's nearly set," she sighed. "I do not enjoy getting home at such a time, especially with all the demons that have been roaming around as of late."

"Then why do you always refuse when I ask you to give up your position as a priestess and become my wife instead? If you did so, you would not have to deal with all of this."

"Michio, I have already explained this to you many times: I must protect the sacred jewel. I am the only one around here with the powers of purification necessary to do so."

"That does not mean I long for you any less," he replied, gazing at her intently.

"Michio..." she began.

"I want a family, Kikyo!" he interrupted. "That is my deepest desire, aside from being with you."

"A priestess was not a wise choice for you, then," she stated simply.

"How can one choose who they love?" was his response. Kikyo stared back at him, her eyes softening, but before she could apologize Michio let out a sudden gasp, clutching his head as a sharp pain shot through it.

"Koibito!" she exclaimed, rushing to his side as he bent and kneeled on the floor.

"What's...going...on?" he implored between moans, fear in his eyes.

"I'm-I'm not sure," she stammered, but then her eyes grew wide. "Michio, your aura. It's...black."

"What?" he managed, now panting. Kikyo stood up and backed away, murmuring a prayer to herself.

Meanwhile, the pain Michio was feeling grew more intense, and the curse that was being place upon him at that very moment started to manifest itself physically. His fingernails lengthened and his canines turned into fangs. He felt a burning across his cheeks and wrists, as well as at the tips of his ears. Kikyo watched in horror as the man she knew transformed into something foreign, and in her mind, something to be feared, as well as despised. Michio toppled to the ground, but instead of hurrying to his aid, Kikyo hurried for something else: her bow and quiver.

"Kikyo...what happened?" he mumbled, lying on the ground. Michio opened his now golden eyes, surprised not only by the clarity of his vision, but by the woman that stood above him. Tears were welling up in her eyes, and Michio was amazed to find that he could smell the salt from them, along with a multitude of other things. After receiving no answer, he pushed himself up from the ground, wondering how it was that he felt stronger, and found himself staring at the point of an arrow.

"What-what are you doing?" he sputtered, shocked.

"Look at you!" she screamed. "You're a demon!"

"I'm not a demon!" he yelled back, outraged.

"You are!" Kikyo protested, and a tear ran down her face. "You're despicable! I spent a year of my life with you, thinking I had found the one I would spend forever with, and _now_ you reveal that you're a vile, evil monster, who wants nothing but to kill and destroy! How can I forgive myself for being with one as impure as you? You've ruined my life. I won't let you do that to anyone else," she uttered bitterly, and released her humming bowstring, aiming straight for his heart.

In a split second Michio jumped straight up through the roof, acting on instinct alone. He gaped at his own ability, but realized that this was not the time to be questioning what had just saved his life. He landed back down on the ground with a thud, creating a dent in the dirt, then propelled himself forward, still gawking at what he had just done.

.~*~.

Michio ran swiftly through the forest, knowing that the speed he could now reach was inhuman, but not willing to accept it. He forced his legs to go as fast as they could, marvelling that after running for what seemed like hours he still wasn't tired. The sun had set long ago, and there was barely any light from the moon; however, he had no problem seeing every minute detail around him strikingly clearly. Around him were the many sounds of the life residing inside the forest, sounds that he had never heard before and had never even know existed. Ahead he could make out a pinprick of light that flickered and wavered with the wind.

_Fire,_ he thought joyfully, relieved that there might be someone up ahead who could help him. _Or someone who could kill you,_ put in the little voice at the back of his mind that he brushed aside.

"Hello?" he called warily as he approached the flames.

"We meet once again, my beloved," Tsubaki trilled menacingly as Michio's jaw dropped.

"Tsu-Tsubaki?"

"Hai. Who else did you expect?" she smirked, then got up and walked over to him, her now purple robes fluttering as she did so. "My, my, my, your new features certainly are striking," she appraised him approvingly, grasping Michio's cheek and turning his face from side to side as a low growl rumbled from his throat. "That silver hair, those lovely golden eyes, even those striking purple markings. I certainly have outdone myself." He stood there, awestruck for a moment as her words sunk in, then he felt a primal rage boil up inside of him.

"You did this to me?" he roared, though Tsubaki wasn't fazed.

"I did, indeed. It was very arduous work. First, I had to find a master of the dark arts, which is no easy task, I assure you. Then I had to practice painstakingly. Now, becoming skilled enough to cast the kind of curse I put on you usually takes years, but I was determined, though my previous experience as a powerful miko made my transition to a powerful dark priestess that much easier."

"Why?" he gritted through clenched teeth.

"Why do you think? You broke my heart, that day, Michio. I couldn't let you get away with that, especially since you were enjoying yourself so much with that stuck-up little miko," she explained. "So, what better way to get even than to split you two apart, by turning you into the very thing she hated?"

"Do you mean to say that I'm stuck as a youkai for the rest of my life?"

"Well, not all the time," she went on. "Only while the sun is down. With my limited amount of the training the curse is only in full effect at night, as the dark is easier for me to manipulate. During the day it will lie dormant."

"So I can go back to Kikyo," he surmised, filling with hope, but Tsubaki interjected.

"I wouldn't try that if I were you," she warned. "If you go back to her in the morning, she'll assume that you're disguising yourself again, which you basically shall be, and will prove to her once the sun sets."

"If I go to her when I'm normal, though, she may be able to break your curse and purify me," Michio insisted.

"Beloved," she murmured while caressing his face, "I know her type. She's seen you as a demon so she will kill you on sight, and if you try to deny that then you'll be sending yourself to an early grave. Besides, she would never give you what you always wanted, now would she?" Tsubaki chuckled. "All you've ever wanted is a family, since yours was killed by those bandits years ago. Remember the day we parted, when I told you I would sacrifice everything for you? I wasn't lying then, and it remains true even now."

"What?" he asked, startled.

"I don't care about what form you take, Michio. All I care about is that you are still the man I loved and will continue to love. If you stay with me, you'll be happy, much happier than you could have ever been with Kikyo."

"But...I love Kikyo," he protested.

"Do you really? She tried to kill you, did she not? Can you really forgive her after that?"

"You say you're willing to forgive me, even though I broke your heart," he pointed out stonily.

"Face it, Michio. We were the ones who were meant to be together, not you and Kikyo." With that, she drew his lips to hers, and their fate was sealed.

.~*~.

It turned out, however, that Tsubaki had poured more venom and hatred into the curse than even she could have imagined, trapping all her bitter feelings in the affliction that she placed upon the one who had spurned her. Though this freed her tainted heart and allowed her to love him once more, it, combined with the lack of experience and control she had from being a dark priestess for only a year, caused the curse to affect more than just Michio. Months later, when their first son arrived, the pair was shocked to find that the curse had befallen him, as well. They visited numerous priests and priestesses, trying to find a cure, but of the few who agreed to associate with them, none could help. Not even Tsubaki was able to undo her own handiwork, though she struggled for years trying to perfect her dark art. As a last resort, they tried to find Kikyo, hoping that maybe they could somehow use the jewel she possessed that was rumoured could grant one's deepest wish. They found that she had vanished, however, and no one knew where to.

In Michio's mind, though, none of this mattered. He finally had a family. Though he and Tsubaki only conceived the one child, out of fear that the others would be cursed as well, he loved his son all the same, and when he looked at his wife he still saw the woman who had told him that day in the clearing all she wanted was to be with him. His life was certainly not what he had ever imagined, but in some respects, it was better, and if this was fate's path he was happy to accept it.

.~*~.

InuYasha shot up from his bed, covered in sweat, his golden eyes filled with panic. He was breathing heavily, and he could feel his claws digging into shredded fabric, even the ones on his injured hand. He sat there for a few minutes until he calmed down, then tried to remember the dream that caused his rude-awakening. With a groan he flopped back onto his pillow, cursing those damn pills for fucking him up so badly. The dream had seemed more like a memory, if he thought about it, and it gave him chills. He was also puzzled. If the dream had really been what had happened to his ancestor, as it seemed to be, then the version he had been told was _way _off. More important to him, though, was why the other priestess had been named Kikyo. Was it just some weird coincidence, maybe a creation of his own imagination, or was he really as unlucky as the poor bastard who had come before him?

* * *

><p><strong>AN:** It says AU in the description, doesn't it? :P I know, I really changed a lot. Hopefully it's good, though. :) Oh, and also, I forgot to say this a few chapters ago: InuYasha's rosary is smaller in this fic, which is why it's able to fit under his collars. And that's it. Now thank you's, for all the very awesome people. :D

LiveInColor, 1411alexis, xbeautyxxisxxlifex, StevieWonderboyx, glon morski, MissG2020, PrincessRini707, SayWhat, and RunningShadow135.

Now I'm going to get started on Chapter 14! Feel free to hit me with a stick if I take too long again. ;)


	14. Strangers and Strange Feelings

**Disclaimer:** I'm a crazy fangirl, and crazy fangirls don't own things like InuYasha. They just obsess over them.

**A/N:** Look at me, updating in a timely fashion! :D And, adding _another_ thing to the crazy mix of them in this story.

* * *

><p><strong>As Day Turns to Night<strong>

**Chapter 14-Strangers and Strange Feelings**

He knocked on the front door with his left hand, then started inspecting his tender right one. Blood was dribbling from the cuts around his knuckles, and it was bruised and swollen. The boy sighed. He didn't know why he did these things to himself. Next time he would be more careful...probably. The door opened and he jerked his head back up, his long black hair, which was up in a high ponytail, whipping around his face like a snake.

"Hi," he said, slightly apologetically, to the girl who stood there in the frame, blinking at the light. She looked like she had just woken up, and was wearing polka-dotted blue pyjamas, not something one would usually want a total stranger to see herself in.

"Hello?" she said, confusion plainly written on her face as she rubbed her eyes.

"I'm really, really sorry to bother you, but I was just in a bit of an accident," he held up his bloody right hand to illustrate, "and I was wondering if you could maybe help me. I just need some bandages or something." He smiled sheepishly.

"Oh, sure," she nodded, sounding more alert, though her voice was still rather scratchy. "Come on in. Please don't murder me, though," she added, as if that would help deter someone who really did want to kill her.

The injured boy laughed. "I promise I won't."

.~*~.

He knocked on the front door, fidgeting nervously as he waited for an answer. His broken hand hung by his side, out of its sling and splint as to not arouse suspicion in case any other members of Kagome's family were there. InuYasha wondered if she was still home sick, or if maybe him coming all the way over here had been for naught. It was kind of hot out, too, and he'd had to walk. He tugged at the collar on his red shirt, then decided to screw it and unbutton the damn thing. He wasn't at school, where his rosary would be frowned upon, and Kagome already knew. Besides, he was planning on getting out of there before the damn thing started to glow.

"InuYasha!" Kagome chirped brightly as she opened the door.

"Hey. Happy to see me?" he smirked.

"Always," she grinned and winked at him. "So," she started, leaning against the doorway, "Are you going to get that cute butt of yours in here?" InuYasha's eyes widened and he blushed, causing Kagome to burst out into laughter. "I was just teasing you! Gosh, sometimes you can be really dense."

"Aw, that's mean. You're basically saying you don't think his butt is cute," came another voice from inside the house.

"Wha-who the hell is that?" InuYasha stammered, still trying to regain his composure. It sounded like a guy's voice, and he really didn't want a guy commenting on his ass.

"Oh, that's just Kouga. Here, come on in and I'll introduce you." She waved her hand for him to follow her and he did, that weird feeling he had experienced yesterday once again growing in his stomach. Another guy in the house did not sit well with him; that had already been established. They walked into the kitchen and a boy about their age, around the same height as InuYasha, give or take an inch, stood up from the chair he had been sitting on. He had on some rather form-fitting yellow and blue clothes that looked like they were made for exercising which InuYasha _really_ didn't approve of.

"Hey. Uchida Kouga." He introduced himself, his bright azure eyes sparkling, and offered his left hand for InuYasha to shake. His right one was bandaged and hanging at his side, and InuYasha furrowed his brow at this. What was going on here?

"Takahashi InuYasha," he replied, taking the other boy's extended hand with _his_ left one suspiciously.

Kouga chuckled a little when he heard his name. "InuYasha, eh? Your parents certainly were unique."

"It's a family-thing," InuYasha ground out through gritted teeth. This guy was starting to piss him off already.

"Well, nice to meet you, InuYasha," Kouga said. "Is Kagome a friend of yours?"

InuYasha and Kagome both looked at each other unsurely. She shrugged at him to show that she didn't care what he said, but he was pretty sure that wasn't the truth. Besides, that possessive feeling was even stronger now, and it told him to assert himself in front of this possible threat.

"Something more than that, actually," he nearly growled.

"Ooooh, interesting," Kouga grinned. "Well, I hope you don't think I'm trying to steal your girlfriend." InuYasha almost swallowed his tongue at that. "I just had a bit of an accident earlier with my bike, and I needed some assistance."

"Hospitals are always good," InuYasha informed him bitterly.

"It wasn't that serious," he shrugged. "And Kagome's a pretty good nurse." His mischievous grin was back, except it was only directed at Kagome this time.

_Don't punch anything, don't punch anything,_ InuYasha mentally reminded himself. He stood there clenching his fists together, though a sharp pain shooting through his right hand interrupted his concentration. He opened his mouth in a silent gasp, and Kouga looked at him strangely.

"Dude, you okay?"

"Fine," InuYasha replied, shaking his hand out slightly, which didn't really help.

"InuYasha broke his hand and it's still healing," Kagome explained.

"Oh, I see. Your right one?" InuYasha nodded. "Hah, funny. Nice coincidence." Kouga held up his own bandaged one.

"Yeah, it's great," he muttered.

"So, you go to school still, correct?" Kouga asked him.

"I do."

"Well, how come you aren't there?"

"I could ask you the same thing," InuYasha countered.

"Let's just say I have a habit of not attending too often. Same goes for you?"

"No, my injury's keeping me home for a few days."

"Ah, I see. Maybe I'll use that excuse now, too." Kouga winked at him, while InuYasha rolled his eyes.

"So, _boyfriend_," Kagome said playfully, "got anything special planned for today?"

"We'll talk about what you just said later," InuYasha grumbled. "And I was just thinking of making sure you stayed in bed."

"Are you serious? That's no fun," Kagome pouted.

"She's right; that isn't," Kouga agreed.

"Do you think your opinion matters?" InuYasha snapped.

"Whoa, touchy." Kouga put up his hands in defence.

Kagome glared at InuYasha. "It would be really nice if you learned that crazy concept of manners."

"Keh," he grunted.

"Well, I should probably go," Kouga said. "All this open hostility is giving me the message that I'm really not wanted here."

"That's not true," Kagome objected. "InuYasha's just being a grump. You get used to it."

InuYasha crossed his arms and brooded. She was taking this damn stranger's side over his! Plus, she called him a grump.

"No, that's okay. I have...things to do, anyway." Kouga coughed when he said 'things', making InuYasha look up and narrow his eyes at him. There was something off about him, no doubt.

"That's too bad," Kagome said sadly. "Maybe another time, then?"

"Yeah, maybe," Kouga grinned. "Care to show me to the door?"

"Of course," she said pleasantly.

"Bye, InuYasha," Kouga waved over his shoulder as they left the kitchen.

"Bye," he repeated, out of obligation more than friendliness. He leaned up against the counter, rubbing the bridge of his nose between his forefinger and thumb. He had a weird feeling, weirder than the possessive one that had taken to popping up. No, this one was different. It was harder to place, but it was almost like he could feel something was going to go wrong. He just had no idea what would.

"Did you really have to be so rude?" Kagome asked furiously, stomping back into the kitchen.

"I'm sorry, but that guy's trouble! I can feel it!" he defended himself, snapping his head toward Kagome. Her face softened and she let out a small sigh.

"I felt something odd, too," she admitted. "I just don't know what it means. There certainly is something..." she paused, "different about him. Something surrounding him, like in the cartoons, when a rain cloud keeps following a person around when they're sad." She frowned, contemplating the circumstances. "I'd like it if you didn't scare him away, though. I want to see if I can figure out what's up with him."

"Fine," InuYasha relented, then motioned for Kagome to come over to where he was. She did so, though not without hesitation, as she was unsure of exactly what he was doing. He looked...uneasy. "Please don't make me worry anymore than I have to, okay?" he asked softly, wrapping his arms around her. "It gets really annoying after a while."

"You worry about me?" she asked in puzzlement, craning her neck to look up at him since she was so close and he had almost a head on her height-wise.

"It's kind of hard not to when you get into trouble so much," he said teasingly, and then his face grew serious. "Now, about what you said earlier..."

"When I called you my boyfriend?" Kagome finished for him, a glint in her eyes. He nodded, and she continued. "Hey, you were the one who said we were 'something more than friends'. I just put two and two together."

"What if I meant we were best friends?"

"Don't you already have one of those?" she giggled.

"Yeah, but he's a pervert. I could do a lot better," InuYasha joked. Well, half-joked.

"Well, you better make up your mind soon, honey. A girl this fine doesn't stay single for long. I mean, just look at how attractive I am right now." She stepped back and ran her hands over her sweatpants and fuzzy blue sweater with a big pink cat on the front as if she were a model. InuYasha stifled a laugh.

"Oh yeah, what guy wouldn't want a piece of that?" he smirked.

"I know. I'm just irresistible." She flipped her slightly frizzy, tangled hair over her shoulder and flounced out of the kitchen, posing the question, in as loud a voice as she could muster with her still sore throat, "Are you coming?" to him.

"Where are we going?" he asked, heading after her.

"You did say you wanted me to get some rest. Well, let's go get some rest," she said in a mock-flirtatious way, though InuYasha didn't pick up on the 'mock' part, and instead gulped but sped up as well.

.~*~.

InuYasha opened his eyes groggily and yawned. All he could see was grey. He panicked for a moment; had he suddenly gone blind? Then the grey shifted, and he looked up and realized that he had been staring at the side of Kagome's pant leg. She was sitting on the bed next to where he was lying, her legs pulled up in a triangle-shape in front of her so she could use them to rest a pad of paper on. She was sketching something with a pencil and seemed deeply focused on her work. InuYasha watched her for a while until she turned to look at him and noted the look of surprise that passed across her face when she saw he was awake.

"Oh, hi, sleepyhead," she said after a moment.

"Hey," InuYasha murmured. "How long was I out for?"

"A few hours. You must have been tired. You tried to make me go to sleep but ended up passing out yourself. It was kind of funny, especially since you had been so mad at me for making you think something _naughty_ was going to happen."

"I wasn't thinking of anything naughty," he muttered.

"Sure you weren't," Kagome agreed patronizingly.

"What're you drawing?" he inquired, sitting up. She flashed him her page, and his eyes widened in shock.

"That's me," he said, flabbergasted, pointing to the paper.

"Yep." She nodded. "You weren't waking up anytime soon, and I couldn't resist."

"Wow," InuYasha marvelled, stealing the pad from Kagome and eliciting a noise of discontent from her which he ignored. That was certainly him, right there in black and white. She had drawn his form in striking detail, catching the strands of his hair that had gone every which way as he slept and the way his forelocks fell over his shoulder and pooled on the bed, the disarray of his shirt and the skin that was revealed underneath it from his collar being open (there was more showing than he'd thought), the small rosary with its gleaming beads resting over his neck, and an amazingly peaceful expression on his face that he didn't know he could have. "You are seriously fucking good," he told her, looking up from the drawing. "And the swear word was totally necessary, because I had to convey just _how_ good you are."

"Well thanks," she smiled, taking the paper pad back from him. "It's not quite finished, though. I need to do a lot of touch-ups. Fix the shading on the hair and about twenty million other things."

"It looks amazing the way it is," he informed her, completely genuine. "I'm not exactly sure how I feel about you drawing me without my knowledge, though."

"Hey, you _were_ totally out," she reminded him. "Just be glad I didn't take off your clothes and draw you _in the nude_." InuYasha fell over onto his side. He was so glad the nosebleed-thing wasn't real. So, so glad.

"What time is it?" he asked after he lay there for a few moments listening to Kagome giggle.

"Uh...6:07," Kagome read from the alarm clock on the table beside her bed.

"What!" he bellowed, shooting upright. "Are you serious?"

"Well, what's the big deal? I'm sure your parents won't be mad, and my mom is...oh," she stopped, the significance of the time finally sinking in.

"Yeah, oh!" he almost shouted in her ear, fuming.

"I'm sorry!" she bleated. "I forgot!"

"You must be joking! You remember the stupidest little things, but not this?"

"I've only known since Friday," Kagome whimpered. "And I just got really caught up in my drawing. I'm sorry." She stared down at her paper forlornly, and InuYasha sighed, calming down slightly.

"It's not your fault," he said softly. "I shouldn't have fallen asleep." He exhaled in frustration, running his hands through his hair. "Does anyone else know I'm here? If not, I can just sneak out your window after I transform."

"Unfortunately, everyone knows. Souta came up while you were sleeping and practically ran through the whole house screaming about the boy in my room. What else are little brothers good for?" she muttered sarcastically.

"Okay, sunset is at 6:34. That gives me about twenty-five minutes, which probably won't be enough time to walk home if your family wants to talk beforehand."

"Trust me, they will," Kagome assured him.

"Do you have a hat I could borrow?"

She thought for a moment. "I have some bandanas. Will those work? Either that, or I could steal one from Souta's room."

"No, a bandana will work just fine. So you get one of those, preferably not in a girlie colour, I'll take it with, we'll go downstairs, talk to whoever and try to get out as quick as possible. Then I'll wait outside until after sunset, slap the bandana on my head, and run home." InuYasha seemed rather pleased with his plan, though Kagome, not so much.

"But you'll be in pain," she said, concerned, rifling through her drawers for a bandana.

"Yeah, that's why I'm waiting until after I've changed to head home. Don't exactly want to drop down in agony in the middle of the sidewalk," he scoffed.

"Well, you shouldn't be outside my house then, either. People could always show up; it is a shrine, you know, and I don't want you going through that sitting on cement trying to hide yourself."

"What am I going to do then, Kagome?" InuYasha threw his arms up in frustration. "I can't get into your room until I'm half-demon, and I'm not sticking around here so your family can find out." She walked back and handed him a purple bandana. He looked at it in disdain. "I said _not_ in a girlie colour."

"Beggars can't be choosers. Anyway," she continued, "I'll let you in through the sliding door downstairs below my room. We'll just have to sneak you back up here without anyone noticing, okay?"

"Fine," he relented, "but if anyone sees me I am going to be so pissed off."

"That's not uncommon for you," Kagome winked. "So, downstairs?"

"Sure," he agreed, shoving the bandana in the back pocket of his jeans.

.~*~.

"I saw you sleeping in my sister's bed," said Souta rather loudly, intercepting the two at the foot of the stairs.

"You're an observant one, aren't you?" InuYasha scoffed.

"Are you Kagome's _boyfriend_?" The little boy looked up at him curiously. InuYasha stared back blankly for a moment.

"Do you think he's my boyfriend?" Kagome asked her brother, saving InuYasha and knowing full well that she was.

"I hope he is," Souta answered honestly. "I like him better than that other one."

"Well, it wouldn't take a genius to figure that out, considering that picture you drew of him." She gave him a stern glare.

"You thought it was funny too," Souta pointed out.

"That doesn't make it right."

InuYasha frowned in confusion. "What's this about?"

"Souta drew a mean picture of Hojo last night. The little brat was extremely proud of it."

"It was a good picture," he shrugged.

"Nice job, kid." InuYasha beamed, ruffling the boy's hair. Kagome gave him an odd look and he stopped suddenly, coughing and looking at his watch. "Twenty minutes."

"Right," she nodded, looking determined.

"Twenty minutes until what?" Souta inquired, hopping along behind them as they set off down the hall.

"Until InuYasha has to go."

"Actually, more like fifteen," he corrected. "Don't want to cut it that close."

.~*~.

"Do you really think it's appropriate for you to be sleeping in Kagome's bed?" Mr. Higurashi raged as InuYasha moved his head away from the furious old man who was getting in his face.

"Wow, what hospitality." InuYasha fought the urge to flip the old codger the bird.

"Gramps, stop it now," Kagome interjected. "You saw for yourself that he was completely out." InuYasha's eyebrows raised in surprise.

"What, was staring at the sleeping guy a family affair?"

"Buyo didn't look, if that's any consolation," Mrs. Higurashi laughed from her spot by the stove where she was finishing preparing dinner.

"Oh, yeah, that definitely makes it better," he grumbled.

"So, InuYasha, are you staying for dinner?" she asked, either not hearing or choosing to ignore his remark. "It's the least we could do, after your family so graciously let Kagome stay the night."

"No, thanks. I have to go. I'm expected at home," he declined politely.

"That's really too bad," she remarked sympathetically. "Another time, then?" InuYasha gave Kagome a meaningful look, but she decided that she had bailed him out enough today.

"Uh...maybe, although probably not anytime soon. Sorry."

"Whenever you can, dear." Mrs. Higurashi smiled at him, and he returned a nervous one.

"InuYasha, according to the clock it's 6:20 right now, so, unfortunately, I don't think there's time for anymore chit-chat," Kagome said, poking him in the arm, trying to make up for her previous forgetfulness.

"Yeah, I really do have to go."

"Well, it was lovely seeing you again. Kagome, are you going to show your friend to the door?"

"Yep," she agreed, hurrying InuYasha out of the kitchen as her grandfather yelled after them,

"I have my eye on you, boy!"

"I love that man," InuYasha said with enough sarcasm that even the most socially inept person could have gotten it.

"Just go," Kagome grinned, amused despite herself.

"Bye, InuYasha!" Souta called from down the hall.

"Bye!" he called back. Kagome made a furtive motion to the side of the house and InuYasha put his thumb up to show he understood.

"So, I'll see you soon, InuYasha," Kagome said much louder than she needed to.

"Very soon." He couldn't resist winking at her, and she just shook her head and closed the door.

.~*~.

"Hey," Kagome whispered, waving at InuYasha with her hand from the sliding door.

"Took you long enough," he muttered. His head was starting to feel like shit already.

"I was five minutes at the most," she sighed exasperatedly.

"Five minutes can be the difference between life or death." InuYasha hurried into the house, then added, "In general, I mean. I'm not that melodramatic."

"Noted. Now, since you're so worried about the time, how about we hurry?" Kagome peered around the doorway into the hall, and when she saw it was clear she motioned to InuYasha. They tiptoed down the wooden floors and up the stairs to her room, InuYasha checking over his shoulder every few seconds and trying to ignore the pain in his head. She shut her door with a relieved exhalation, looking over to InuYasha and saying, "Now that wasn't so hard, was it?"

"No, and it was so much fun, too," he grumbled sarcastically, making his way over to her bed on increasingly unsteady legs. He toppled over with a groan, feeling slightly guilty for monopolizing the sick girl's bed the whole day but feeling too shitty to let it really get to him. "Kagome, go downstairs and have dinner. You don't need to wait around up here," he said as she sat on down the bed beside him.

"It's pointless for you to try to make me go," she informed him stubbornly.

"It's pointless...for you to stay," InuYasha countered, his face scrunched up as the pain grew more intense.

"Enough," Kagome commanded, patting his leg. He looked at her through narrowed eyes, partly because of the pain but partly because he didn't like the fact that he was now the one being treated like a stubborn child. Then what felt like a shock wave ripped through his body, and he turned his head into her covers to stifle his moans, the displeasure wiped from his mind.

His last coherent thoughts were about the future. He wondered if this was what the rest of his life was going to be: him, lying on a bed, going through hell and listening to Kagome's sobs as she sat next to him. InuYasha wasn't sure if he wanted to live his life like that. However, he wasn't sure if he had a choice in the matter. The pain then overtook him and stopped his train of thought, not giving him enough time to realize that he had unconsciously factored Kagome into his future.

.~*~.

Big, dewy brown eyes were staring at him, and he felt his face being caressed. He furrowed his brow in confusion, managing to say "Whaza?", then figured that that didn't sound quite right.

"InuYasha?" Kagome asked tentatively. "Are you all there? You seem more...gone than usual."

"Where else would I be?" He looked at her blearily through golden irises, not understanding the question.

"O-kay, I think you need to rest for a few more minutes," she said, pulling her head back from his face.

"No," InuYasha protested, shaking his head, "I...need to get home. And you...you need to go eat." He sat up, pressing his arms behind him on the bed to prop himself up. His hand didn't complain, which was a welcome change from the rest of the day.

"Are you feeling better?" She still wasn't convinced.

"Yeah, I'm fine," he said, trying to prove it to her and himself. "Now go." He got off the bed, feeling more like himself, and pushed her gently over to the door.

"All right," Kagome agreed, though sounding unsure. "Don't pass out on your way home, though. You're definitely not at one hundred percent right now. Is your hand bothering you?"

"No, it doesn't hurt. I just had a shitty sleep last night. You're sick, though; you really shouldn't be the concerned one."

"Can't help it," she shrugged and then stood on her tiptoes, kissing his nose. "Oh, and I'm going to be at school tomorrow. Hopefully you'll be there, too." She smiled and waved her fingers at the stunned InuYasha, making her way out the door and closing it softly behind her. He stood there for a moment and then slowly took the bandana out of his pocket, tying it over his dog-ears, although the fact that he was doing this didn't register in his brain. He walked over to the open window like a zombie, pausing to stare out at the twilight.

"Holy fuck," he said softly, wondering how the hell he'd gotten to this point, then jumped out of the window.

* * *

><p><strong>AN:** Whoa, major developments, people! Major. :D I get all excited because I only find out about this stuff slightly sooner before you do. I have some goals/things planned out, but basically I just go wherever my muse leads me. Now, duh duh duh, thank you's! (Oh, and I've started taking out the individual replies in my previous chapters. Names are still there and everything, just not what I said, because they really inflate my word count. I'm still going to keep doing them, they'll just only stick around for a few chapters.)

LiveInColor, SilverStella, Saria Forest14, StevieWonderboyx, glon morski, and 1411alexis.

So, guess what? The 100 review mark is closely approaching. :O I don't think we'll pass it this chapter, but hey, if you don't normally review but you have something to say, I'd love to hear it (I appreciate constructive criticism too). :D Maybe you'll help keep my fingers glued to the keyboard. XD


	15. Trapped

**Disclaimer:** InuYasha just ain't mine, okay? -_-

**A/N:** Forewarning: possible mind-blowing-ness ahead. And speaking of mind-blowing...*looks at review count*...alkjfdiisieljjhskdfj...*falls over*. :D

* * *

><p><strong>As Day Turns to Night<strong>

**Chapter 15-Trapped**

It was 1:27 when InuYasha finally decided to roll out of bed. Not having to go to school was pretty damn enjoyable, especially since he was ahead in his subjects. It was basically a vacation...if vacations involved getting freezing cold buckets of water dumped on one's head.

InuYasha grumbled as he stood in his doorway, soaked from head to toe. He had wondered why his door was open a crack, but he had assumed his mother had just come in to be nosy before she took the train to her shop. Why was it that he had suddenly decided to stop regarding everything as a trap now? He sighed and picked up the bucket that had been balanced on top of his door prior to him walking through it. On it was Sesshoumaru's ornate signature, and below that was an added note that read: 'Also with love from Rin-chan". InuYasha couldn't help cracking a smile at this. It meant that Rin had called his brother, so the ice water on his head was therefore, totally worth it. This was a one-off for him; Sesshoumaru, on the other hand, would be irritated for as long as it took for the girl to take a hint, and Rin was extremely clueless when it came to his half-brother. He headed to the bathroom, cold, but extremely satisfied.

.~*~.

Lying on the grass was nice. InuYasha often didn't appreciate the outdoors, but today he hadn't been able to resist. He had looked out the window, seen the sun shining, the bright blue of the sky, the few fluffy clouds scattered randomly like paint accidentally spilt on a canvas, and had thought, _What the hell?_ There wasn't anyone around to bother him, anyway, and the warmth of the sun sure felt nice on his face. He yawned, close to falling asleep again. Sure, he had only awoken a few hours ago, but he was comfy and extremely full from lunch-well, brunch, since it was his breakfast as well.

He needed a day like this. It reminded him that summer was coming, thank the kami. That meant he'd get to stay out until seven...in the evening! He laughed in spite of himself. What a fucking life he had. Lately, though, things weren't too awful. There'd been some missteps, yes, but it felt to him like the good outweighed the bad, even if he wasn't willing to admit to himself just what the good was.

"Hey, I know you!"

InuYasha frowned and sat up, angry at being disturbed. The front lawn had obviously been a shitty choice.

"Kouga, remember?" the boy waved from the sidewalk, his hand still bandaged. InuYasha squinted in displeasure. Unfortunately, he did remember. At least he was wearing better clothing, this time, InuYasha noted, taking in his rather ordinary outfit of a white and maroon striped long-sleeved shirt and cargo shorts. _Well, ordinary for a five year old_, he scoffed internally.

"Hi," he grumbled as Kouga walked up to him. Apparently the asshole didn't know what private property meant.

"So, what's up? Out of school for your 'injury' again?" Kouga winked, and InuYasha scowled at him in disdain.

"Yeah, actually, I am."

"Nice, nice. Same here. I stole your excuse like I said I would." He grinned, and InuYasha fantasized about wiping that grin off his face.

"Glad to hear I could help," he said sarcastically.

"Well it's your pleasure then." Kouga laughed at his joke while InuYasha wondered if murder was _really_ such a serious offence. Surely a judge would take his side in this case. But then the other boy abruptly changed the topic. "Hey, so, I have a question for you: are you busy today?"

InuYasha stared at him as if he'd grown another head. "Am I what?"

"Are you busy today?" Kouga repeated.

"Why the hell are you asking me that?"

"Because, I could use some help with...something, and it'd be better if the person I got this help from wasn't all too familiar with me."

"You're serious about this?" InuYasha couldn't help but think that this guy had received one too many blows to the cranium. It was obvious he didn't like him, yet the tool was still asking for his help?

"Yeah. I'm not much good with this busted up hand." He held up the bandaged one.

Same here, buddy," InuYasha informed him, though his hand had healed considerably over the past two nights. It was only a little stiff, and he figured after tonight it'd be good.

"Well hey, if we work together then we should be able to get it done. We'll have a full set of hands between us."

"Sorry, but I think the answer is no." Kouga's face fell.

"You sure? I would really appreciate it, and then I'd owe you a favour, too. I'm a very useful guy." InuYasha stared at him blankly, so he decided to try a different tactic. "Tell you what: I don't need help until 4:30. It's 2:53 now, so we can go do something. My treat." InuYasha couldn't believe what he had just heard. What was this guy's angle? But then again, all this talk with Kouga was giving him that creepy feeling again, that something was definitely amiss, and he was starting to think like Kagome in the respect that he wanted to find out what.

"Actually, I'll help you out."

"Really?" Kouga brightened instantly.

"Yeah, what the hell. Just so long as we're finished by 5:30, and whatever you want me to help me with isn't too far away. By the way, are you going to tell me what we're doing? That's usually important."

"Just unloading some boxes and stuff." He shrugged, as if to indicate it was nothing important. "And don't worry, it'll be quick. Plus, my house isn't too far away. Thirty minutes on the line, tops."

"Okay," InuYasha agreed, though he still felt hesitant. However, his curiosity was getting the better of him, and he thought this was a good opportunity to try and uncover just what this guy's deal was.

.~*~.

"So, do you like to bike?"

"Uh, no." Bikes were death traps in InuYasha's opinion. He remembered trying to learn how to ride one and nearly killing himself on six separate occasions. The fact that Kouga was using his left hand to eat his fries even though he was right-handed because of a bicycle certainly did not convince InuYasha to think otherwise.

"Too bad. Biking's great. You should get into it," Kouga suggested, popping another fry in his mouth.

"Sure," InuYasha said dryly, picking at his own food. This was awkward. And annoying. And a general inconvenience. He sighed. He was already regretting agreeing to this guy. Why did Kagome have to go and put stupid ideas in his head? At least Kouga seemed nonplussed, eating and chattering away like some kind of manic squirrel.

"Whadaya do for fun, then?"

"Schoolwork and some other things, occasionally." InuYasha hated being quizzed about his life. He always sounded like such a fucking dork. Not that he cared what other people thought, but...

"Dude, you need to loosen up a bit," Kouga grinned. "Well, at least you spend time with your girlfriend. You're pretty damn lucky to have Kagome. She sure is something..." Kouga trailed off and looked out the restaurant window, while InuYasha gave him the death glare. "Sorry," Kouga apologized sheepishly, turning back and noticing InuYasha's expression.

"Whatever. Just try to keep your opinions to yourself," InuYasha muttered, checking his watch. "It's 4:12," he informed the other boy.

"Oh, right. We should get going," he said, eating his last few fries quickly. InuYasha sighed again. What a dumb ass.

.~*~.

"I thought you said we were going to your house?" InuYasha frowned, staring at the large and fairly weathered grey steel building before them. They were in a sketchier district, and he didn't like it. Not one bit.

"Sorry, I meant warehouse." Kouga looked sheepish. "I've taken to shortening it."

"And why do you have a warehouse, exactly?" InuYasha inquired suspiciously as Kouga unlocked the smaller door next to the large one used for loading, raising an eyebrow.

"To store stuff; what else?"

"And what do you need to store?" he persisted.

"Stuff for the family shop," Kouga replied, letting InuYasha in first and then closing the door behind them. InuYasha appraised the expansive space, checking out all the crates, boxes, and other random goods, such as furniture, that littered the room. It was messy, but it seemed to back up the other boy's claim.

"So where's this shit you want moved, then?" InuYasha looked back at him questioningly.

"Right over here," Kouga motioned to a door in the far right corner. After leading him over there and opening the door, InuYasha noticed that it must've jutted out from the building. Inside the small room was just grey, grey, and more grey, containing piles of boxes and one bare bulb (Kouga had flipped the switch for it outside) which hung from the ceiling, flickering.

"So, are these what you want me to help move?" InuYasha didn't get a response, and turned around just as he heard a bang followed by a click. His eyebrows raised in shock as he saw that the door was closed, and he shook his head in some futile effort to deny what had just happened. When that didn't work he rushed over to the door, grabbing the handle and rattling it frantically. It was locked.

"Kouga! Fuck, Kouga, let me out of here! If this is some kind of joke then it's not funny!" he yelled while tugging at the door, his voice growing desperate and pleading. He banged on it and yelled some more, stopping after a few minutes, though it felt like hours to him, to glance at his watch. It read 4:42. He blew out a sigh of frustration, looking upwards as if there was some magic solution to his problem in the ceiling. Nothing, not even a vent he could try to squeeze through. The only thing there was that damn light bulb, blinking away merrily.

.~*~.

InuYasha sat on a pile of flattened cardboard boxes, running his hands through his hair in increasing worry. His foot was tapping furiously away at the floor, stopping only when he would check his watch, which he did about every thirty seconds.

_Tap, tap, tap_.

6:17.

_Tap, tap, tap._

He threw his hands away from his head in exasperation, getting up and pacing again like he had been doing before he sat down. He pulled his phone out of his pocket again, seeing if service had miraculously appeared. Unfortunately, there was no luck there, either. He had searched through the boxes soon after the he had found himself trapped, and there was nothing in them. It seemed Kouga had just opened them and stacked them around to make his whole scheme look legitimate. InuYasha clenched his fists and gritted his teeth in fury, not caring about his still sore right one. He couldn't stand the thought of that bastard. What was even worse, though, was that InuYasha had no idea what the hell he was up to.

His brain couldn't figure it out. It had gone through all the possibilities he could think of, but nothing seemed plausible. How the hell could Kouga know about the curse? He had just met the guy yesterday, for fuck's sake, and it was a pretty small, exclusive group of people who had been informed of its existence. None of them would tell, or if there was a chance that they would, they were effectively taken care of. So it had to just be some stupid coincidence that he was shut up in here, minutes away from transforming, right? Maybe he was being held for ransom. He supposed that could happen. His family was known to be well off. Or it could have just been some terrible accident; the door could have accidentally closed and locked and Kouga was incapacitated somehow. However, InuYasha doubted that that was what happened. No, he had been right in the kitchen yesterday. His gut had tried to warn him, but he had been stupid again and not listened.

"So. Fucking. Stupid." He bashed his head on the wall at each pause, resting it there once he was done. There was no reason for him to move, no reason for him to make any effort. He was through, finished, done.

.~*~.

His head was throbbing and he couldn't stand any longer. He dropped to the floor, crouched on his knees with his hands before him, though they were shaking so much that they provided little support. InuYasha bowed his head toward the ground, shutting his eyes and wishing that this could just all go away. That he could be normal, and not always in messes like he was now. He swore through clenched teeth, feeling them beginning to expand. The rosary was hot on the back of his neck. His body gave out and he dropped to the ground. Groaning, he moved his hands up to his head to try and cover the ears that were about to form there. It was a wasted effort, obviously, since he would certainly look different enough as it was. His hair was probably close to being all silver, and his claws were coming in. He tried, though; it gave him some semblance of comfort, at the very least.

Laying there on the hard concrete, he was surprised to hear noises before his ears started rearranging themselves: the opening of a creaky metal door, and the calm, measured footsteps of someone who was taking his dear sweet time.

.~*~.

There was a person in front of him; he could sense it. Whoever it was smelled male, definitely, and his breathing indicated that he was unperturbed. InuYasha could hear the squeak of his shoes as the man tried to stay balanced in the position he was in: crouched on the balls of his feet. InuYasha held back a growl; he could tell that this guy was inspecting him, like some kind of fucking specimen, and he didn't like it one bit. He lay still for another minute, pretending that he was still unconscious until he felt well enough to hold his own. At that moment he shot his hand out in a flash like lightning, grabbing the man's ankle and pulling it out from under him. There was a grunt as the unidentified person hit the stone floor, and InuYasha wasted no time leaping up and pinning him to the ground with his left hand, raising his right one in preparation to strike.

"Dude, you could have broken my ribs," Kouga coughed.

"Give me one good reason why I shouldn't kill you right now," InuYasha snarled, baring his fangs.

"'Cause it's illegal?" Kouga smirked, seemingly not caring that his life was threatened.

"Like that'll stop me," InuYasha shot back.

"Maybe because I have something you might be interested in, then?" The way Kouga said it implied that it was less of a question and more of a statement, like he already knew that would work. He was right.

"And what would that be, exactly?" InuYasha cocked his head then cracked his knuckles, a sardonic expression on his face, though he was secretly intrigued.

"Let me up and I'll show you," the other boy grinned. This was his game, and he knew how to play it.

.~*~.

"Hello?" Kagome said into the phone her mother had handed her, clearing her throat, as it was still a little scratchy.

"Hi, Kagome, dear, it's Mrs. Takahashi," came the voice from the other end of the line. "I'm very sorry to bother you, but InuYasha wouldn't happen to be there...would he?" she asked hopefully.

"Uh, no, he's-he's not," Kagome stammered, taken off-guard. This wasn't the kind of phone call she had expected to get, especially when she was just lying in her room doing homework.

"Oh my, I was worried you were going to say that," Izayoi tittered, and Kagome thought she sounded slightly hysterical.

"Is InuYasha not there?" she ventured, already knowing the answer.

"I'm afraid he isn't, and we don't know where he would be. He just...wasn't there when I came home, and he hasn't shown up yet. There's no note, no call, nothing. We haven't been able to reach his cell phone; it just says that he's out of the service area. And I...I..." Izayoi broke into tears at that point, and Kagome's mouth opened in shock.

"Don't worry, Mrs. Takahashi. I'm going to come over, and we'll find him; I promise." Kagome leapt off her bed and rushed down the stairs, abandoning her homework.

"This just...it's not like him in the least. It's after sunset...and-and I think he could be in real trouble," Izayoi managed to say between sobs.

"I know, but I'm sure he's fine. I can feel it." Kagome tried desperately to reassure her, running into the living room and screeching to a stop in front of her family.

"Mom, Gramps, Souta, I have to go. There's an emergency at the Takahashi's," she informed them hurriedly, covering the mouthpiece of the phone.

"Oh my!" her mother exclaimed. "What's going on?"

"InuYasha's missing," she explained quickly, then put the phone back up to her ear, taking off into the hall and down to the entryway. "I'll be right there, Mrs. Takahashi. I have to hang up now, but I'll be right over."

"Okay," Izayoi sniffled, nodding on the other side of the phone. "Thank you so much, honey."

"It's no problem at all," Kagome said, grabbing her coat and slipping on her shoes. "Now, I'll see you really soon, and by the time I get there hopefully InuYasha will be back." She half-heartedly smiled at this, wishing it would be true. "I'll call you when I get there," she told her mother who had come after her, depositing the phone into her hands and dashing out the front door.

.~*~.

"I would appreciate it if you took your hand off of me," Kouga informed the hanyou as they walked across the warehouse, their destination a door opposite to the one that sealed off the room InuYasha had been contained in.

"Not a fucking chance," InuYasha hissed in his ear, tightening his grip on the back of the other boy's shirt. "And let me remind you, human: if you try to pull _any_ more stunts, I will tear you limb from limb without even blinking." He was furious, more angry than he could ever remember being, even more angry than the time when he had been eight and Sesshoumaru had been twelve and he'd tied InuYasha to a stop sign with a dog leash. It was obvious in the fact that he had called Kouga a human. He never liked reminding others of the distinction between him and them, that he wasn't the same, but he wanted to show this dumb ass that he was not to be screwed with. The best way to do that was by scaring him; though, he had to admit, Kouga didn't smell scared. He couldn't figure this guy out, which only served to outrage him further.

"Oooh, better watch out. The big bad doggy's upset. I sure hope that his bark is worse than his bite," Kouga jeered. InuYasha slammed him against the wall next to the door they had reached, keeping the other boy at eye level. It took all his restraint not to kill him right there, which was odd, considering he'd never killed, or hell, even really hurt anyone other than Sesshoumaru before. He didn't think he'd particularly enjoy it, either. But he felt like he was coming unhinged, and at the moment, that was a good thing. It meant he would be taken more seriously because there was some actual weight behind his threats. He just had to keep himself under control.

"You have no fucking idea who you're messing with, do you?" InuYasha growled menacingly, his golden eyes blazing like fire.

"Actually, I do. I did my research. Takahashi InuYasha, 17 years old. Birthday: June 27th. Attends the third most prestigious school in Tokyo, not because he couldn't get into the best school there is but because he didn't want the commute. Nice job, by the way. Top marks in the whole school but somewhat of a loner. Does have a friend, one Sasaki Miroku, who attends a fairly respectable school, in it's own right, and has a reputation for not being able to keep his hands to himself. He's also recently taken up enjoying the company of one Higurashi Kagome, who is an above average student at the same school as he and a lovely girl all around. It seems like there's more there than just friendship, though, which leaves a question just begging to be asked: how does she compare to his last, and frankly, only other girlfriend, Yamamoto Kikyo?"

InuYasha stood there and listened to Kouga go on, stunned into silence, until he heard him mention the last name. "What did you just say?" he shouted, lifting Kouga away from the wall to slam him back into it, though the other boy didn't seem to be phased.

"What, are those dog-ears of yours not working right, mutt?"

"That's it!" he bellowed, forgetting that he was supposed to be in control and instead preparing to strike.

"Whoa, whoa, whoa." Kouga put up his hands in defence, and InuYasha detected the first scent of fear from him, stopping him from delivering a devastating blow. "Let's just calm down here. Don't want to do anything we'd regret, now do we?"

"Exactly, which is why I should kill you right now. Otherwise I'd regret not doing it."

"Sure about that, are you? Not the least bit curious about how I know so much about you, or what's behind this door?" InuYasha could imagine that this guy would make a good game show host, or an even better sleazy used car dealer.

"Stop blathering and just get on with it, then, or else I may not be so forgiving," InuYasha warned him, releasing his grasp on Kouga's shirt and letting him step away from the wall.

"Now there's a good boy," Kouga said condescendingly, his trademark grin back on his face. InuYasha cracked his knuckles to show that he wasn't amused, but Kouga continued blithely on, unlocking the door as he talked.

"So, a couple of weeks ago I had the fortune to run into a beautiful woman. I was walking along the streets at night, returning from one of my dealings, and she appeared from nowhere, it seemed. She was crying and obviously disoriented. I asked her what was the matter, and when she couldn't seem to formulate a reply I offered to take her to my place out of the goodness of my heart. I'm glad I did, because she had a very interesting story to tell."

"And what was that?" Kouga had unlocked the door, but didn't open it, and instead kept right on with his monologue.

"Well, when I got her home she started talking to me. Apparently she had gone to a party with a guy who had only been interested in one thing, which he made very clear to her once they arrived. After fighting with him she'd gone and had a few drinks, trying to calm herself down, though she said she never drank. She informed me that she felt horrible and was worried that her drinks had been spiked, and she was so stupid for doing it. Said she'd had one good boyfriend, and then after him they'd all been jerks, then started wailing about how she didn't even know why she dated these guys. I asked her what had happened to the good one. She said she'd broken up with him. I wondered if it was a case of 'Don't know what you've got till it's gone'. She looked pretty sad then and told it was, though she wasn't sure that even if she got him back she could look at him in the same way. Now that was interesting. I asked her why, and her response was 'because he's a monster'."

InuYasha's eyes widened, and he let out a soft, "No."

"Oh, yes," Kouga nodded, enjoying himself. "Our little friend Kikyo has got quite the pair of loose lips."

* * *

><p><strong>AN:** Cliff-hanger! :O Actually, count yourself lucky. There were so many amazing opportunities for cliff-hangers. I was nice and gave you all some info before ending it. :D And now...holy cracker beans. 102 reviews. I know I left a little note about passing the 100 mark last chapter, but I didn't think I'd actually get to it now, much less pass it. Just goes to show how freaking amazing you guys are. :D Super-big-awesome thank you's to everyone reading. You're all the best. :D

StevieWonderboyx, SilverStella, SariaForest14, Summer Jasmine, InuyashaForever122345, LiveInColor, WingedElement, RunningShadow135, glon morski, rite4fun, FantasyFanatic01, IdeasUnlimited, TheOnlyException (my 100th reviewer!), Lionsheart13371, and xbeautyxxisxxlifex.

So once again, ginormous thanks to everyone who helped me get to 100 reviews...and beyond! Party hats for all! :D As always, I love to hear from you, so drop me a review, yell at me for the cliffie, beat me with a stick, whatever. XD And an update will be coming soon, promise. :)


	16. Poor Decisions

**Disclaimer:** I don't own InuYasha, nor do I condone or endorse underage drinking. Seriously, don't do it. :P

**A/N:** Hahaha, all the Kouga hate made me laugh. XD Just remember, things aren't always as straightforward as they seem. ;)

* * *

><p><strong>As Day Turns to Night<strong>

**Chapter 16-Poor Decisions**

"What the fuck did she tell you?" InuYasha roared, getting right in Kouga's face. The other boy leaned back slightly but didn't flinch.

"Pretty much everything, I'm assuming. Certainly more than you'd want me to know," he laughed.

"That little-" InuYasha clenched and unclenched his fists, trying to keep himself under control. "She signed a fucking gag order! She took the damn money!"

"You're a testy one, ain't you?" Kouga raised an eyebrow, looking disdainfully at the hanyou. InuYasha was taken aback. Who the hell did this guy think he was to judge him? "Besides, she was inebriated and most likely drugged when she spilled the beans to me. The next morning she didn't remember a thing."

"So this was just some big set-up then," InuYasha concluded, crossing his arms. "Why?"

"As I said before, I have something you may be interested in." Kouga reached behind himself and opened the door, beckoning for InuYasha to follow him into the dark room. He did so, though not without trepidation. The other boy clapped his hands, illuminating the room before them, which was devoid of anything save for two wide mahogany cabinets at the back.

_Show-off_, InuYasha thought bitterly as Kouga began walking toward the only pieces of furniture in the room and he followed him.

"I acquired these from my dealings about a month ago," Kouga explained, pulling open the doors of the first cabinet and revealing what was within.

"A sword?" InuYasha frowned at the object mounted on the back of the cabinet. It was in a simple black sheath, and though he couldn't see the blade, the handle looked pretty ratty, so he assumed the rest of the sword would match.

"Two swords," Kouga corrected, opening the other cabinet to reveal a sword that was similar to the first except a whole lot nicer. The handle was blue, not brown, with small white diamonds formed by the way it had been wrapped, and it wasn't frayed as the other one was.

"And you wanted me to see these because?" InuYasha looked dully at Kouga.

"Just try picking it up," Kouga smiled encouragingly, causing InuYasha to look even more puzzled. He reached toward the first sword carefully, worried that it might be another trap, but he grasped the handle firmly, pulling it out from the cabinet and holding the weapon up.

"Wow, amazing," he said sarcastically, though he noticed Kouga's smile had grown larger. "What're you so happy about?"

"Watch," Kouga instructed him, and then reached his left hand out to touch the sword. The moment he came in contact with it, a weird crackle like electricity sparked in the air around his hand and he jerked it back as if he'd been shocked, swearing softly and shaking it.

"What the hell..." InuYasha trailed off in amazement, regarding the sword with a little more respect now. Anything that hurt that jerk was certainly deserving of it. He reminded himself to also thank Kouga's bike if he ever saw it.

"The sword has some kind of barrier around it. Same with the other one. Anyone who touches them is instantly repelled. Anyone except you, it seems, and I'm guessing the same goes for the rest of your bloodline as well. At least the ones affected by the curse." InuYasha tore his eyes away from the sword to give him a sideways glance at the mention of the curse.

"You really do know a lot, don't you?"

"Kikyo's pretty good at explaining things," the other boy smirked.

"So why me?" InuYasha asked. "Why is it that I can touch it when you say no one else can? I'm assuming you have an answer for that, too?"

"Of course," Kouga replied jollily, all too eager to talk more. "Flip the sword over and look at the other side of the sheath, near the top by the handle. Tell me what you see."

InuYasha did as he said, and his eyes widened in surprise when he saw what Kouga was referring to. "That's my family name," he said, astonished, as he ran his hand over the kanji engraved in the sheath.

"Sure is. You had to have such a common one, didn't you? See, there are a whole hell of a lot of Takahashi's in Tokyo, never mind Japan or even the rest of the world. But when I got these swords, I was intrigued. I'd never come across anything with a barrier before, which definitely made them hard to transport, let me tell you, and I wanted to find out more. Seeing the name made me even more curious. It narrowed down the possibilities to who could've owned these buggers, and finding out the story behind them became my own little quest, if you will. I decided to get them looked at by one of my friends who deals with anything old. They certainly seemed pretty damn ancient to me, especially that one." Kouga motioned to the sword InuYasha was holding.

"So, my friend almost had an aneurism when he saw these. He dated them to about five hundred years ago, during the feudal era. I asked him if he had any clue who could've owned them, and he said though he didn't know who the family was, he knew what they were, if legends were correct. Youkai." Kouga had a cocky expression, and InuYasha returned a condescending one.

"You're quite the little sleuth, aren't you?"

"I have many abilities." Kouga looked at his nails as if he didn't care.

"So, you just believed this guy when he told you that creatures who weren't supposed to exist were the owners of the swords?"

"Well, not exactly. He kept going on about how he had heard of this kind of thing before in old tales, where youkai would put barriers on their weapons to prevent humans or other youkai from using them. I thought it was far-fetched, though the idea remained in my mind. And then a week later, I stumble upon a hysterical girl in the middle of the night, one who's going on about how her ex-boyfriend Takahashi InuYasha is really a demon. It was too good of a lead to pass up, and I orchestrated this all in order to see if it was really true. Looks like my gamble paid off."

"What's in it for you?" InuYasha questioned him bluntly.

"Um, let's see." Kouga put his finger up to his chin and stared at the ceiling to show that he was thinking, or at least pretending to. "Well, I've figured out the mystery behind them, or at least part of it, so that's always nice. I've also been informed that demonic swords can have some pretty interesting powers, so I'd like to see what those are, too." He paused for a moment, and then continued with a devilish tone to his voice. "Oh, and money. Money's always good."

"Blackmail. Got it," InuYasha said matter-of-factly.

"No, not necessarily," Kouga objected. "You'll get the swords and the promise to have your secret kept in exchange for the money. Really, it's just a business transaction."

"For an exorbitant sum," the hanyou added.

"Ah, not too bad," the other boy shrugged. "Only, say, twenty million yen? That's actually pretty good for two swords like these."

"Deal," InuYasha agreed, extending his hand so they could shake on it. Kouga did a double take.

"Wait...you're serious?"

"Yeah..."

"Wow," Kouga replied, grasping his head in wonder. "Wow. Thank you so fucking much, man." With that the other boy stepped forward and gave InuYasha the biggest bear hug he'd ever received, almost causing him to drop the sword in surprise. "I really wasn't expecting that. I just said a big number because I thought we'd haggle it down. I mean..." Kouga pulled back, staring at InuYasha straight in the eyes, who looked pretty freaked out. "Are you sure you can afford this? I know your family's well off, but..."

"More than well off, buddy," InuYasha interrupted. "We just don't like to flaunt it."

"Shit, man." Kouga started laughing. "I think you just saved my life."

.~*~.

"Where are they?" Sango burst through the front door, followed by a rather harried looking Miroku. "I'll kill them all, I swear," she snarled ferally, brandishing a mop that she'd bolted out of her house with and carried the whole way to the Takahashi residence. "And Kirara will eat them!" She held up the small yellow cat tucked under her other arm triumphantly, who simply mewed.

"Sango, dear, I already told you: we don't know if he's kidnapped or not. And even if he is, I doubt that a mop will really help our cause."

"You don't know that," she protested. "Besides, any friend of my friends is my friend, and no one touches my friends!"

"That was barely coherent," Miroku informed her gently.

"Do I look like I care?" she nearly yelled.

"Well, it's good to know the savage only associates with those of his own kind," Sesshoumaru said dryly. "Now if you care to join us, everyone else is in the dining room."

"Whoa," Sango breathed out, letting her right arm that held the mop drop to her side. "InuYasha's brother sure is...interesting looking." She interestedly watched as Sesshoumaru returned to the next room, his long silver hair billowing out behind him as he gracefully strode and ignored her comment. "Cool tattoos," she said while Miroku, standing to her left, fidgeted nervously. He was going to be in such shit with InuYasha; he just knew it. But this was the only plus to his mysterious disappearance: the fact that he was out of his own way for once. It was the perfect time to tell Sango, whom he hoped would be around for a very long time, and would therefore need to find out eventually. And though he hadn't told the rest of the family about his plan, Sesshoumaru didn't seem opposed to the fact that Sango was here, so far, although he wasn't exactly someone that was easy to read.

"How about we just go into the dining room?" Miroku suggested, anxious about the whole situation.

"Right," Sango said, sounding very determined, and swapped her shoes for slippers, then darted into the next room. Miroku rushed after her, afraid for what she was going to do. Sango was...different when she was stressed.

"I brought _things_!" she announced to the room full of people, once again wielding her mop as if it could save the world. Kirara mewed for extra effect. Everyone else, who had all been sombrely talking, stopped what they were doing and stared at her. Sango lowered her mop, disheartened, and realized that her entrance probably hadn't been the best one.

"That's...lovely, dear," Izayoi said, picking her words carefully. "Now, who are you, exactly?"

"She's a friend of mine," Miroku filled in, coming up behind Sango and putting his hands on her shoulders.

"Mine too," Kagome added. "My crazy friend, too."

"You're the crazy one," Sango said indignantly, then looked around at the people before her. Kagome was the closest to her on her left. Next to Kagome was whom she assumed was InuYasha's mother, and then his father, and on the far right was Sesshoumaru. They were all seated around a large dining table, which was very expensive and classy looking. In fact, the whole house was expensive and classy looking, but Sango wasn't concerned with that. She was concerned with the odd appearances of Sesshoumaru and Mr. Takahashi.

"Not to be rude, but...do the two of you," she motioned to the men, "have a premature aging disease or something?" _And a strange penchant for tattoos,_ she thought to herself. Inu no Taisho coughed, not sure of what to say, and Sesshoumaru just shook his head and poured himself another cup of tea from the pot sitting on the table.

"Miroku..." Inu no Taisho began before the boy in question interrupted him.

"Don't worry, she's trustworthy. I thought she might as well find out now, since she'll hopefully be with me for a very long time, and InuYasha's not here to stop me. Plus, I wouldn't have been able to stop her from coming if I'd tried."

"You got that right," Sango agreed. "Now what's all this about?"

"Well, looks like it's story time," Inu no Taisho joked.

"Just be glad InuYasha's not telling it," Kagome muttered, though she really wished that he was there to swear and screw things up.

.~*~.

"Did what now?" InuYasha asked, his brow furrowed.

"I've been hurting for money lately," Kouga admitted sheepishly, rubbing the back of his head with his uninjured hand. "And let's just say I took out a loan from some...unsavoury characters, and I haven't exactly been able to pay them back. They're the kind of people who don't like to be kept waiting, and they're not afraid to come after you if you're behind on your payments."

InuYasha looked flabbergasted. "Are you kidding me?"

"Well, that's not really something you kid about."

"And how old are you?" InuYasha was still incredulous.

"Seventeen, same as you."

"How the hell did you get into this then?" the hanyou shouted. "I mean, what the hell are your parents off doing?"

Kouga shrugged. "No idea. They could be dead. Haven't seen them since I was twelve."

"What?"

"Look, dude." Kouga reached his left arm out and put it on InuYasha's shoulder, who stared at it as if he had the plague. "I'm immensely grateful; you don't even know. So, how's about we go out for a drink? Maybe I can make what I did to you up a bit. Plus, I'll answer your questions then. I like to have something a little harder when I'm talking about my family."

"Let me get this straight:" InuYasha started, "you want me to go out, like this, and drink alcohol with you illegally?"

"Here," Kouga offered, pulling a black bandana out of one of his many pockets. "You can wear this. No one'll suspect a thing, especially in this part of the city."

"Someone I know could see me, though," he said, taking the bandana from Kouga and inspecting it unsurely.

"Hah. A rich boy like you ain't going to see any of his rich friends around here."

"Okay, but what about the whole 'underage consumption of alcohol' thing? I really don't want to get arrested."

"Don't worry, I know a place." Kouga assured him. "Besides, I doubt alcohol will affect a demon, and you gotta learn to be less uptight, anyway. Just trust me."

"Yeah, trusting a guy who tricked me so he could lock me up in a closet and blackmail me is always a good idea," InuYasha scoffed.

"I did it out of necessity, man. Give me a break, and let me make it up to you."

InuYasha mulled it over for a minute. The guy did actually seem genuine for once, unlike in the past, when he kept getting the salesman vibe from him (even though he had just sold him the swords). He could also sympathize with the fact that Kouga hadn't really had a choice in the matter. He could recall saying something to Kagome about necessity not too long ago. "All right," InuYasha finally agreed. "But history better not repeat itself." And if it did, at least like this he could beat the shit out of the guy, no problem.

"Promise it won't," Kouga grinned.

.~*~.

"Is there a gas leak in here?"

"No, Sango, we're all perfectly fine," Miroku told her.

"See, I don't think you are. _I _think you are all crazy."

Kagome flopped her head down on the table. They'd been trying to convince Sango that they were telling the truth about the curse for half an hour now. She scoffed internally. And InuYasha called _her_ stubborn.

"Look, honey." Izayoi entered the dining room again, returning from getting one of her family photo albums. She set it down on the table and opened it up, rifling through the pages. She stopped at one with an earmark and reached into one of the little plastic sleeves on the page, pulling out a photo that had been hidden behind another one. She handed it to Sango, who accepted it suspiciously.

"Yeah, Halloween costumes. Nice," she said, handing back the picture, which showed a hanyou InuYasha who couldn't have been older than six being lifted up into the air by his leg, courtesy of a ten year old Sesshoumaru also in youkai form.

"And why, pray tell, would I be wearing the same Halloween costume that still miraculously fits me today?" Sesshoumaru inquired coldly, tapping his claws on the table. This girl was getting on his last nerve, not that it took much for a person to do that. Everyone annoyed him. It wasn't often that he showed his frustration with others' ineptitude, though.

"Because you really like it," Sango replied snarkily.

"Are we actually wasting our time on this girl?" Sesshoumaru was obviously irritated, and the others all looked at Sango, impressed that she had managed to aggravate him. "I assumed that there were more important matters to attend to. Perhaps finding the whelp, though I have no idea why you would desire to have him back."

"Did you just call InuYasha a whelp?" Kagome looked at him funnily.

"I did; he hates it."

"Sesshoumaru's right," Inu no Taisho agreed, "though his motivations are suspect. Sango, I'm sorry if you don't believe us, but that really isn't our biggest concern right now. Our concern is finding InuYasha." He looked around the table meaningfully, then continued after a moment. "So...does anyone have any idea how we're going to do that?"

.~*~.

This was weird. InuYasha couldn't remember being out at night on the streets with actual people looking at him. He was also surprised, and a little sad, that he blended in pretty well with the other passer-by's. His long silver hair certainly didn't stand out as much when there was a guy with a neon green and pink mohawk covered in piercings walking in the opposite direction. In fact, what made him the most noticeable was his clothing. It looked pretty damn expensive compared to what everyone else down here was wearing.

"Why am I wishing I didn't fit in with these people?" InuYasha muttered under his breath to Kouga, who was on his right.

"'Cause you're a snob?" the other boy laughed. "Kidding," he said when he saw InuYasha glare at him. He wasn't really kidding, though.

"So, where's your 'place'?"

"Two more alleys," Kouga said as they passed one.

"I didn't know alleys were a unit of measurement," InuYasha scoffed.

"They are now," Kouga replied as they passed another. "One more alley."

"Awesome. We're even closer to being arrested," he muttered sarcastically.

"Right here, worrywart," the other boy said, turning down the dingiest alley they had walked by yet.

"This certainly looks like a nice spot to get mugged and wake up in a tub with your kidneys removed," the hanyou commented.

"Best spot I know," Kouga winked and then went up to a door set back into the brick wall of a building. "Hello?" he sang, knocking loudly.

It opened after a minute, and a burly man with a buzz cut that had circles shaved in it all the way to the skull peered out. "Fuck, kid, keep it down," he hissed. "You're lucky I let you in here at all."

"Come on, Franklin. You know I've saved your hide plenty of times. And you better be nice, remember? Don't want me to call the feds on you and get you deported, do you?" Kouga teased.

The Caucasian man, who must have been a foreigner, judging by his accent and Kouga's comments, glared at him. "Get your ass in here, then." Kouga beckoned to InuYasha, who was standing off to the side.

"Who's your friend?" Franklin asked as the two walked through the door.

"InuYasha, Franklin. Franklin, InuYasha," Kouga introduced the two.

"Hey," InuYasha grumbled.

"Nice hair, kid," the man said with a jerk of his chin to the hair in question.

"Thanks." InuYasha skirted by him as fast as he could and entered the building. Once he did, his immediate reaction was to run out the way he came.

The place was dimly lit, though that didn't really matter to his eyes, but it still wasn't a good sign. There were tears in the dark brown wallpaper, revealing wooden boards beneath that looked like they were about to fall apart, and the creaky chandeliers, half of the bulbs in which were burnt out, seemed as if at any minute they'd come crashing down onto some poor drunk's head. Most of the various patrons scattered around were rough looking, and made the people he'd seen on the streets appear halfway normal. Plus, the air reeked, and he bunched up his nose in disgust.

Kouga ignored the rickety tables where most of the people had taken up seats and headed straight for the bar. InuYasha followed him, glancing around as if he expected an attack at any time, and sat on one of the faded gold and red bar stools, breathing a sigh of relief when it didn't immediately collapse beneath him.

"Yo, Franklin!" Kouga called, waving at the man from his seat. "Beer, please and thanks."

InuYasha hunched over his stool, trying to shield his head. "Do you have to be so damn loud?"

"What's the issue, Nancy?" Kouga smirked. "Scared?"

"He should be," Franklin grunted as he popped up behind the bar, grabbing a glass. "This is completely illegal."

"I always drink in here, Franklin," Kouga said disinterestedly. "Get over it. Besides, you're here illegally anyway."

"Even more reason to be staying out of trouble and not serving minors," the bartender countered, pouring his beer. "Here you go, yah little shit. Just mind the time. If the fuzz catches you out after curfew and finds out you've been drinking, you're going to be in a hell of a lot of trouble, and with my luck they'd trace it back to me."

"Don't talk about fucking luck," InuYasha said glumly, though with a hint of anger.

"Mmm!" Kouga agreed, sipping his beer. "This can be the shit-luck club. How 'bout it?"

"I'll drink to that," Franklin said and then looked at InuYasha. "Do you want anything, kid?"

"Nah, I'm good," InuYasha declined.

"Come on, dude, loosen up," Kouga told him cheerily.

"You're here, ain't yah?" Franklin shrugged. "Might as well."

InuYasha debated this. "Umm..."

.~*~.

"I've tried calling three more times," Izayoi said, putting her head in her hands. "Nothing. It still says he's out of service."

"Where could he be, then?" Miroku wondered aloud. "I don't know of any place in the city where he wouldn't get service, save for if he was in a concrete bunker or something.

"Please don't put ideas into her head," Inu no Taisho pleaded as Izayoi started crying again.

"Sorry," Miroku apologized sheepishly while Inu no Taisho went to comfort his wife.

"I can...break...random pottery...against...walls," Sango concluded to herself, pacing frantically with Kirara shadowing her movements. Everyone else looked at her oddly.

"What is the matter with this one?" Sesshoumaru asked, pausing to look up from his cellular phone. "Is she defective?"

"No, she just gets a little...frazzled when she's stressed," Kagome explained and then went back to biting her nails. She wished she could act like a maniac as Sango was doing. Unfortunately, she had a place in the scheme of reactions. Hers was to close up and keep her worries to herself. Not the ideal situation, but she hoped that it was helping keep everyone (that could be kept calm) calm. Meanwhile, Sango hadn't stopped going on about pots.

"Still think she's the one, Sasaki?" Sesshoumaru taunted as he went back to his device.

"Of course," Miroku nodded firmly, though he couldn't help but think that if Sango got this worked up over the disappearance of someone she barely knew, then he'd certainly have trouble if he were to commit any...indiscretions.

"It's just 'cause I can't do anything!" Sango burst out suddenly, startling everyone. "I hate being helpless! I mean, is there anything I can do? Go run around outside yelling his name, maybe?"

"Like a lost dog," Sesshoumaru smirked. "I'll have to tell him that one when he gets back. And I've alerted Captain Kimura. He's going to make sure all his officers keep an eye out for him."

"See, honey? Kimura's going to take care of it," Inu no Taisho soothed his wife. "Everything will be fine; trust me."

.~*~.

"So who's payin' for all this, anyway?" InuYasha asked as he set his fourth drink down. He barely even had a buzz. What was the point of drinking if you couldn't even get drunk? It wasn't like the shitty beer that was served here tasted good, anyway. It was bitter and disgusting, at least to his sensitive hanyou palette.

"Fucked if I know," Kouga laughed, slapping InuYasha on the back with his bandaged hand, which didn't exactly work too well. It obviously didn't take much to get him half in the bag.

"Do you take credit?" InuYasha pulled out his wallet.

"From a minor's card?" Franklin raised an eyebrow at him.

"Right," InuYasha remembered and then thumbed through the cash he had. "How much do we owe you, exactly?"

"And if you can't cover it, then we'll request for our fair barkeep to set up his finest tab!" Kouga interjected, swinging his drink wildly and seeming very amused by himself.

"Ten thousand yen," Franklin said.

InuYasha looked outraged. "Are you serious? We had like, seven drinks of your backwater."

"I charge extra when the customers could get me shut down and shipped off," he stated simply.

"Fuck," he griped, pulling the bills out of his wallet and slamming them down on the counter. Everyone was taking advantage of him tonight. "Come on, Kouga." He prodded the other boy, who turned toward him with glazed eyes. "We should go," InuYasha said. "Try not to act too drunk."

"That's always my motto!" Kouga laughed again, downing the last of his drink. "See yah, Franklin," he said, patting the bar fondly before dismounting from his stool with wobbling legs.

"Stay out of trouble," the man warned.

"Never do!" Kouga yelled as they left the building, waving with his back still turned. InuYasha sighed as they got outside. Kouga looked dazed, and was tipping from side to side like a weeble. He would definitely attract attention.

"Here," InuYasha said, lifting Kouga's arm and resting it over his shoulder so he could lean on him and hopefully not fall over.

"Aw, thanks, buddy," the other boy cooed, and InuYasha scowled.

"Seriously, just try not to attract any attention."

"Gotcha." Kouga shut one of his eyes and stuck his finger out in the shape of a gun at InuYasha, making a clicking noise to show he understood. InuYasha exhaled in frustration.

"On second thought," he said, and suddenly swooped Kouga off his feet, jumping into the air.

"Holy shit!" Kouga exclaimed, clinging to InuYasha in a manner only a drunk guy could pull off, as they landed on top of the building they had just exited. "What the fuck was that?"

"Look, there are police boxes all around and you're obviously wasted. The only way we're going to not end up spending the night in jail, or worse, is if they don't see us. Easiest way to not be seen is if we go where they aren't: the air." With that, InuYasha took off again, feeling that the extremely awkward and uncomfortable sensation of carrying a guy was better than winding up in handcuffs.

.~*~.

"Dude, was bridal style really necessary?" Kouga asked angrily as InuYasha set him down in front of his warehouse. "I feel very emasculated right now."

"You'll get over it," he assured the other boy dryly. "Now what about our, as you put it, 'business transaction'?"

"Oh, that." Kouga rifled around in his pockets for a minute, pulling out a small black device that looked like a walkie-talkie, frowning at it and then resuming his search.

"What's that?" InuYasha asked curiously while Kouga continued searching.

"Huh? Oh, it's a cell phone jammer. Stops 'em from receiving signals from towers. I had it so you couldn't call the cops on me or anything when you were trapped. Good idea, eh?" He grinned.

InuYasha's eyes widened. "Fuck."

"What is it?" Kouga was biting his tongue in concentration now, still trying to find something in the numerous pockets of his cargo shorts. "Aha! Found it!" he said triumphantly, holding up a small rectangle of card paper.

"I have to get home," InuYasha told him worriedly. "I think I'm dead."

"Oh, bummer." Kouga stared at him blankly, not comprehending what he meant. "Here's my business card, though, just in case you become a zombie or something."

"Thanks," InuYasha said sarcastically, snatching the card and then leaping away.

"Cool," Kouga said, standing there dumbly, though InuYasha was long gone by that point.

.~*~.

"Nothing?" Inu no Taisho asked feverishly.

"According to Kimura, no one's seen him." Sesshoumaru relayed the information from his phone to his father.

"Damn," he said, pounding the side of the couch with his fist. Izayoi was curled up in his lap, having cried herself out some time ago and fallen asleep. Sango had also run herself ragged, except instead of crying she had been raging, but the end result was still the same, as she and Kirara were cuddled up on the floor together. Sesshoumaru was on the couch next to Inu no Taisho, while Kagome and Miroku were sitting on a pair of loveseats, one on either side of the couch. Everyone who wasn't already asleep certainly looked as if they'd like to be.

Inu no Taisho suddenly sat up, jolting his wife awake. "He's home." Sesshoumaru nodded his agreement.

"What?" Kagome exclaimed, jumping out of her chair. Everyone else did the same, aside from Izayoi, who Inu no Taisho carried because she was still half-asleep, Sesshoumaru, who took his time, and Sango, who was still passed out on the floor with her faithful kitty Kirara snuggled on top of her.

.~*~.

InuYasha opened the door quietly, hoping not to cause a commotion, only to have Kagome shoot out from behind it, looping her arms around his neck and burying her face in his shoulder. Her feet dangled above the ground, and he instinctively wrapped an arm around her to support the girl.

"Whoa," InuYasha breathed out, not expecting that.

"If I had half a right mind I'd kill you here and now," she said into his shoulder, her voice muffled.

"Same goes for me," his father said as he showed up with all the conscious people. Izayoi's face lifted as she saw her son at the door.

"InuYasha!" She leapt from her husband's arms, rushing to add to the embrace Kagome was already giving the hanyou. "I was so worried," she sobbed, apparently not cried out after all.

"Sorry," he said softly, resting his head on top of hers.

"You reek of alcohol." Sesshoumaru frowned, sniffing the air.

"You do," Inu no Taisho concurred, his expression growing sterner by the second.

"What?" Izayoi lifted her head and looked up at her son in consternation.

"It wasn't my idea," he mumbled feebly. "I was just trying to keep the guy happy." _And find out something,_ he thought as he realized that Kouga hadn't even told him about his family like he said he would. _Bastard._

"You were drinking?" Kagome pulled her face back so she could stare at InuYasha.

"Yeah, but my body metabolizes differently right now, so it didn't do much, if that's any consolation."

"My baby was drinking?" Izayoi shrieked, making InuYasha flatten his ears beneath the bandana Kouga had lent him.

"Oh, kami," he groaned, rolling his eyes. He hated it when she pulled the 'my baby' card. It was embarrassing and it made him feel guilty; two birds with one stone.

"We need to have a talk," Inu no Taisho informed him, his face cold.

"We do," InuYasha agreed. "'Cause see...I'm going to need twenty million yen."

There was a collective 'What?' from around the room, and a few jaws dropped. Just then, a newly awakened Sango came running in.

"He's back!" she squealed happily, pushing her way through the small group of people to the front, though when she did she could only blink in shock. "You're not InuYasha...are you?"

"What's she doing here?" InuYasha asked Miroku angrily, ignoring Sango. His friend smiled sheepishly and rubbed the back of his head.

"I-I...uh," he stammered, though he was saved by Kagome suddenly ripping off InuYasha's bandana, causing his eyebrows to raise in surprise as he felt a cool draft on his ears.

"Told you," she gloated to Sango, sticking out her tongue.

* * *

><p><strong>AN:** Did you know that there's a curfew in Tokyo for anyone under 18? They can't be out on the streets between 11 P.M. and 4 A.M. without an adult or a good reason. Just have to say: that'd suck. :P Anywho, thanks now goes to my fab reviewers! :D

SilverStella, 1411alexis, LiveInColor, TheOnlyException, glon morski, Saria Forest14, xbeautyxxisxxlifex, rite4fun, StevieWonderboyx, Tender Fantasies, and The Curri of Life.

So now I'm off to a family dinner (which is the reason why this chapter was early, so you can be happy about it, at least -_-). Family dinners are often awkward, so hopefully there'll be a lot of reviews to cheer me up when I get back, as I most likely won't be in the best mood. :P


	17. A Little Bit of This

**Disclaimer:** I am unable to comprehend why anyone would even begin to think that I own InuYasha ('cause I don't, in case that wasn't clear).

**A/N:** Sorry! This took way too long. I went away for four days there, and I tried to get it out before then, but a birthday and a wedding and me rewriting the chapter three times and coming up with *tons* of new story ideas got in the way (more about that after our regularly scheduled programming). So, sorry. :P

* * *

><p><strong>As Day Turns to Night<strong>

**Chapter 17-A Little Bit of This...**

"You're very comfy," Kagome mumbled sleepily into InuYasha's chest.

"Thanks...I guess," he smiled.

"I was really worried, you know," she continued, shifting slightly but still keeping her eyes closed.

"I figured that, since you've been clinging to me like a spider monkey ever since I got home," he teased her gently. At the moment, she was curled up against him, using his lap as a seat and his chest as a pillow while he leaned back against the headboard of his bed. After InuYasha's rather long explanation of what had happened, it had been decided that it was too late for everyone to go home, so Miroku and Sango were upstairs in the guest rooms and Kagome was with InuYasha in his room. This was probably only being allowed because Sesshoumaru and his father were able to hear everything that was going on, although he imagined that Kagome would have put up quite a fight had they tried to separate them.

"Spider monkeys are nice," she murmured, yawning.

"Very nice," he agreed, running his fingers through her hair. They were silent for a few moments, and InuYasha would've sworn Kagome was asleep had he not known better; her breathing was still too fast. She was getting there, though.

"When you changed, were you okay?" she asked out of nowhere.

"Mmm?" He was caught off guard by her question.

"When you changed, were you okay?" she repeated.

"I was fine," he assured her wearily, resting his head on top of hers.

"I'm sorry I wasn't there," Kagome said quietly.

InuYasha sighed. "You don't need to always be there."

"Well, you don't always need to save me when I'm being a klutz, but you do," she countered. He looked down at her in bemusement.

"How can you think so straight when you're half-asleep?"

"Magical monkey powers," she replied. "All good spider monkeys have them." InuYasha laughed.

"Really? I wasn't aware of that."

"Well, that's 'cause you're not a good spider monkey. Seriously, though." she said, opening her eyes and pushing herself up and off his chest so she was at eye level with him. "I'm sorry I wasn't there. I don't like to think of you going through...that...by yourself."

"I already told you I was fine," he assured her softly.

"You always say you're fine, though, so that really doesn't help much."

He stared at her through lowered lids, not impressed. "Just go to sleep."

"Bossy, bossy, bossy," she chided, settling back down into the contours of his body. He shook his head and then looked out the window. The shade wasn't drawn, so the quarter moon lit up the otherwise dark room.

Today had certainly been...eventful, a lot more so than he had thought it would be when he'd woken up that morn...er, afternoon. He couldn't say that it had been enjoyable, though, especially being trapped by that prick. As annoying as it was to have Kagome constantly watching over him when he transformed, he would take that any day over what he had went through earlier.

He lowered his head and nuzzled his face in her hair. She was way too good smelling to resist. She giggled at his touch and he pulled his head back up.

"Don't even say anything."

"Wasn't going to...dog-boy."

.~*~.

InuYasha had slept extremely soundly that night. There was no weird insomnia, no crazy dream, no waking up every two hours, nothing, which was why being jarred awake that morning right as his transformation started was a major shock to his system. He usually got up before it began. His face scrunched up in pain and he rolled over, trying to put some distance in between him and Kagome, who was slumbering beside him. They had all been up late last night because of him, and he didn't want her to wake up and lose more sleep due to him as well.

He pressed his face into his pillow, trying to muffle himself. He clenched the fabric tightly and managed to look back behind him. Kagome was stirring slightly, but she wasn't up. _Good_, he thought, breathing hard as he let the change overtake him.

.~*~.

"InuYasha?" Kagome yawned drowsily, rubbing her eyes. She had fallen asleep next to a silver haired boy with dog-ears, and to now wake up and see this boy with black hair and human ears was a little surprising. It shouldn't really have been, especially since she was used to seeing InuYasha human a lot more than seeing him hanyou, but it felt to her like his appearance had changed while she'd blinked.

"Mmph," he grunted, his eyes still closed.

"You transformed already?" She propped herself up on one arm, concern in her voice.

"Mhm." He yawned and then moved slightly.

"Why didn't you wake me up?"

"Because you were sleeping and that wouldn't have been nice." InuYasha cracked an eye open and looked blearily at her. "You're asking me way too many questions for this early in the morning."

"Aw, you were actually trying to be considerate for once," she cooed. "How sweet.

"Glad you appreciated it," he said, closing his eyes again.

Kagome shook her head at him and then turned around to look at the clock. "Ugh," she groaned. "It's five-thirty. Why am I even up?"

"Beats me," he shrugged. "If you're going to go to school today, though, then you're going to have to get up soon anyway."

"I don't feel like it," she whined, flopping down on the bed again.

"Yeah, that's a great excuse," InuYasha smirked.

"Well, are you?" she wondered.

"Probably not," he yawned again. "My hand doesn't hurt anymore, but I can still say it does, therefore preventing me from having to get up at ass-o-clock like you."

"You suck," Kagome told him, flicking his head.

"Come up with a good excuse and then you can suck, too." InuYasha's eyes widened after he said that. "That sounded so wrong."

"Yeah, it was definitely a little forward for me. I prefer to be romanced first," she winked.

He glared up at her as she giggled. "You're not as funny as you think you are, you know."

"I'm plenty funny," she pouted.

"Tell me a joke, then. One that's not immature."

Kagome thought for a few moments. "Yeah, I got nothing," she admitted.

"Thought so," he said, rolling over so his back was facing her. "Anyway, just say that you're tired. It's certainly believable, and I'm sure that's what Sango and Miroku will be using, the slackers."

"And then we can spend the day together?" she asked excitedly.

"Uhh..." InuYasha started.

"That's okay; you don't need to answer, because it's your only option!" she squealed gleefully, wrapping her arms around him.

"Wait," he said, pushing himself up so he was sitting and shrugging her arms off of him. "Are you forcing me to spend time with you?"

"Yes!" she beamed and hugged him again, then started laughing. "The hyper thing there was an act; don't worry. I'm not actually that crazy. We are spending time together, though," she said sternly, pointing at him with her serious face.

"You are way too high-maintenance," he complained, putting his face in his hands.

"And you are a grumpy puppy."

InuYasha glared at her cheerful face. "Come on, Kagome," he said, frustration in his voice. "I am clearly human."

"It still bothers you, though."

He glared at her once more then lay back down on the bed again, grumbling.

.~*~.

"I am going to murder you, Miroku! Revenge will be mine!" InuYasha shouted as he dodged around a corner, holding his gun up in preparation to shoot.

"Au contraire, my friend. I think you'll find that you're the one who's going to die," Miroku replied from behind a mirrored wall, holding his gun at the ready as well. "I'm sorry to say it, since we've had seventeen years together that I do hate to waste, but I think it's time we both let go. Move on to better things, and just cut the ties altogether." Miroku continued his spiel as he crept along, not noticing the person that had snuck up behind him. "Besides, I never forgave you for the time when you put a sign that said I was a sex offender on my back and let me walk around with it on for the whole day."

Miroku ducked his head around the mirrors as he reached a gap in them and then froze when he heard an ominous click behind him. He turned slowly to see InuYasha pointing a gun at him with a sardonic smile on his face.

"You gotta learn to put your money where your mouth is," InuYasha uttered menacingly and then pulled the trigger. Miroku gasped and dropped to the ground, convulsing for a few moments until he lay there motionless. InuYasha walked over and kicked him with his boot. "You're such a drama queen."

"Acting is all part of the fun, my friend," he grinned, getting up and dusting himself off.

"It gets a little tiresome when I kill you twenty-two times and you always pull the same stunt."

"Lighten up," Miroku told him, firing a quick shot into his chest. The electronic pad flashed red and InuYasha glared daggers at his friend.

"That doesn't count."

"Do I look like I care?" he smirked.

"So, have you gotten tired of dying yet?" InuYasha asked him, tapping his laser gun against his other hand.

"Have you?" Kagome asked as she leapt out of nowhere, firing a shot into the pad on InuYasha's back.

"You little...b!" he yelled, taking off after her.

"Uh-oh, looks like someone needs to go in the bad dog box!" she laughed, running away behind a section of reflective panels as InuYasha chased after.

"Well, now, that just leaves dear Sango to be taken care of," Miroku mused slyly. "I wonder where she could be."

"Up here, pervert," a voice said from above, and Miroku looked up to find himself staring down the barrel of a laser gun.

"I really do need to learn how to talk less, don't I?"

"Yep," Sango agreed, shooting his chest. Miroku once again faked his death, and Sango dropped down from the metal structure she had been perched on top of, shaking her head at his actions. "Pathetic."

"I disagree. You are just a very formidable opponent." He got up and winked. "I like that."

Sango rolled her eyes. "Where are the other two, you lecher?"

"Not sure about that," Miroku answered honestly. "It might be best to head where the angry shouting is coming from, though."

"That would be a good start," she concurred, then jogged off to where the sounds of a commotion had begun echoing from.

"Put me down!" someone who didn't sound like either InuYasha or Kagome ordered. Miroku furrowed his brow in confusion as he came up to the scene before him.

"Not until you apologize, you little brat!" InuYasha snarled at the orange-haired boy he was holding up by the back of his shirt.

"InuYasha, put him down. He's just a kid," Kagome commanded, tapping her foot.

"You saw what he did! He needs to apologize" InuYasha protested angrily.

"What's going on here?" Sango asked, just as puzzled as Miroku was.

"The runt came up, kicked me in the shin, and then shot me in the chest!" he explained, still furious.

"Well, anything goes in the blood sport that is laser tag," Miroku chuckled.

"Yeah, I know you'd say that. You threw your shoe at me earlier," InuYasha scoffed. "I don't even know this kid, though, and he should learn that he can't run around kicking people!"

"What, are you a wimp?" the little boy shot back.

"That's it!" InuYasha roared, dropping the boy, who landed with an 'Oof'.

"Hey, hey, hey! Don't do anything rash!" Miroku said frantically.

InuYasha paid no heed to his friend, though. "Kid, you have to the count of three to run. After that, I'm coming to kill you." The little boy got up and started to take off, giggling. "One, two, three!" he counted, bolting after him.

"Aw, it looks like the mutt made another friend," a new voice jeered from behind the three remaining teens. They all turned to look at the source: a swaggering male with a long black ponytail and a dark blue laser tag suit like the rest of them were wearing.

"You!" Kagome shouted, instantly firing off a few rounds at the new arrival.

"Jeez, Kagome, that wasn't a very nice welcome," Kouga said as the electronic pads on him flashed red, sounding hurt.

"Did you expect it to be?" she sneered, holding her gun up and blowing off the top as if it had been smoking.

"Who is this now?" Miroku asked, looking back and forth between the two.

"This is the mastermind behind last night's little scheme." Kagome jerked her head in Kouga's direction to indicate him.

"What?" Miroku exclaimed, outraged, while Sango merely lunged at him, pushing the extortionist up against one of the many plastic panels scattered around for people to hide behind. The dark Lucite shook from the force, and Kouga looked genuinely surprised, though that changed back to an amused smirk rather quickly.

"Feisty, are we?" he grinned.

"You don't even have a clue, buddy," Sango snarled back at him. Miroku watched with a dopey expression.

"Isn't she amazing?" he sighed happily.

"She certainly is something," Kagome smiled.

"The little brat took off," InuYasha scowled as he came walking back toward the group. Once he saw Kouga pinned by Sango, though, his face grew confused. "Dude, you stalking me or something?"

"Not exactly. I just happen to have...sources around the city that keep tabs on things for me. It's how you run a successful empire, you know."

InuYasha was unimpressed. "You told me yourself that you're in debt up to your thick skull. How exactly is that successful?"

"Well, you don't have to broadcast it everywhere," Kouga said defensively.

"Anyway, what do you want?"

"For her to let me go," he replied, motioning to Sango. She glared at him but did so.

"What else do you want?" InuYasha continued.

"Just to find out when exactly our transaction is going to take place. As you, and everyone else, now, know, I need the money."

"I gave my father your business card and he said he'd call you today. If he hasn't already then I'm assuming he will soon."

"Okay, good enough," Kouga nodded.

"All right. Now that that's settled, you have till the count of three." InuYasha's countenance grew evil, and Kouga's eyebrows rose. "One." Kouga started to run. "Two." Kouga increased the distance between him and his soon-to-be attacker. "Three." InuYasha shot off like a bullet.

"This probably wasn't the best place for them to meet," Kagome mused.

"Better than paintball," Miroku chuckled.

"If we had been paintballing, that guy would have welts on his back that spelled out my initials," Sango said menacingly.

"And on that threatening note, I think we should go help InuYasha beat that jerk into a pulp," Kagome suggested slyly.

"Huzzah!" Miroku cheered, thrusting his gun in the air.

.~*~.

"So the scores were: Captain Awesome: one hundred and seventy-five thousand, The Ultimate Slayer: one hundred and sixty-three thousand, Pretty Kitty: one hundred and twenty-eight thousand, Horrible Hentai: one hundred twenty-two thousand, The Wolf Man: eighty-four thousand, and Clever Like A Fox: fifty-five thousand." InuYasha read off the score printout from the game, his arm wrapped around Kagome's back as they walked out of the building since Kouga was there. "Jeez, Kouga, the only one who didn't beat you was that little brat."

"That's 'cause you all ganged up on me," he grumbled.

"With good reason," Sango interjected.

"Well, as always, I am victorious," InuYasha said cockily.

"Yes, you are," Kagome humoured him, patting his chest reassuringly.

"Anyone up for food?" Miroku asked, rubbing his hands together.

"I am." InuYasha raised his hand. "Kicking ass makes me hungry."

"Well, I'm sure you weren't asking me, since I definitely sense some hostility here," Kouga started, "but I really do have to be getting back to business."

"Oh, too bad," Sango said sarcastically.

"So, maybe I'll see you soon," Kouga waved, walking away.

"You do have a nasty habit of popping up," InuYasha muttered as he left.

.~*~.

Miroku and Sango were sitting cross-legged in the grass, now out of their laser tag get-ups and in normal clothes; Sango was picking absently at the sharp green blades, while Miroku was carefully folding various coloured papers he had bought after lunch into delicate flowers.

"Those are very pretty," Sango commented, looking over at his work.

"I'm glad you think so," Miroku responded, sticking his tongue out in concentration as he twisted the bottom of one around a thin green wire. "They are for you. And maybe, if I have enough left over, I'll give some to Sleeping Beauty over there so he can impress Kagome."

Sango giggled and turned back to look at where the other two were. InuYasha had fallen asleep at the foot of a tree, and Kagome was curled up beside him, resting her head on his chest, out as well.

"They're like cats with the amount of sleeping they do," she joked. Miroku chuckled.

"That's not the animal InuYasha is usually compared to," Miroku said, winking at her. "I'm sure he'd appreciate the change."

"Right," Sango said slowly, mulling over the thoughts that comment had brought up. "So...what you all told me last night...that's really true?"

"As true as my feelings for you," he smiled, winking once more.

"Rhyming now, are we? Trying to become the perverted poet?" she scoffed.

"That does have a nice ring to it."

"It's just...so strange to think about, you know?" Sango changed the subject back. "I mean, it's like stuff out of a fairy tale."

"Well, aren't those stories always the most interesting ones? Besides, life needs a little magic. It just happens to be in a very concentrated form here, but I bet you there's a purpose behind that. Things happen for a reason, whether we like them or not. They can often be hard to accept, but in the end, the trials we go through are what reward us. They fulfill us; give us hope, courage, strength, love."

Sango smiled gently as he finished his speech. "Ever thought of becoming a philosopher?"

"Well, I could always become a monk like my grandfather was. Go into the family trade, so to speak. Then again, chastity isn't really my thing."

Sango looked at him in disdain as he kept on making his flowers. "Thoughts like that are usually ones you want to keep to yourself," she advised.

"Don't be so sure, my dear Sango. As I said, things happen for a reason." She rolled her eyes at him, and he stifled a laugh.

.~*~.

"And so I said, 'Fine, bitch! If you're going to be that way then you can just screw off, for all I care. I can do way better than you!'. Then she kind of trashed my car, but I showed her."

Kikyo lifted a corner of her lip in distaste, glaring at the boy beside her, who was going on about things she really didn't care to know. She sighed and stared ahead of her, anxious for the day to end. School been horrible, and so was listening to this prick.

"InuYasha?" she heard someone say, making her stop in her tracks. Not noticing this, her date continued walking along, still talking about the various women he'd told off.

"Mhm?" was the reply of a voice Kikyo knew all too well.

"I don't ever want to get up. I'm much too comfortable and sleepy. I think that leaves only one solution."

"And what's that?" InuYasha's voice was slightly groggy sounding, but also rather contented.

"We live in the park."

"We live in the park?"

"Yes. We can be hobos in the park."

"And you would like that?"

"I would love it. Hobo is right after spider monkey on my list of 'Things I Want to Be'."

She heard the male voice laugh.

"Well, as lovely as that sounds, you're much too pretty to be a hobo."

"Say that to me after a week of living in the park."

Kikyo headed across the pathway to where the exchange was taking place, looking around to see the pervert InuYasha had always hung around with and some girl she didn't recognize in the grass beyond, then, almost close enough for her to touch, InuYasha's jet-black mop of hair, joined by more black hair belonging to a girl she also didn't know. Well, she thought she didn't know her. She couldn't see her face from where she was standing, and her voice didn't sound familiar.

"InuYasha," Miroku called in a singsong voice, getting up and walking over to the pair. Kikyo quickly ducked behind the tree next to the one the two were leaning against, peering around it cautiously to view the scene. "I have something for you."

"What is it?" InuYasha replied, mocking his tone.

"A beautiful bouquet of flowers, for the even more beautiful lady who is currently using you as a cushion." Miroku handed him the paper arrangement, the other girl rolling her eyes from her spot in the grass a few metres away.

"Kagome, these are for you," InuYasha said, ignoring Miroku and simply plucking the bouquet from his hand. "All the credit for them goes to me, and not to the person standing in front of us. I used my magical monkey powers to will him into providing them; therefore, it was all my doing."

"You don't have magical monkey powers," she giggled, "remember?"

"Damn. I suppose I have to say thank you to Miroku, then."

"I suppose you do." The pervert eyed him pointedly, crossing his arms and tapping his foot.

"Thank you, Miroku," InuYasha said beleagueredly.

"You are somewhat welcome," he replied and then sauntered off to his original spot.

"Ouch. I think that was the Miroku version of a burn." InuYasha grinned.

"Well, either way, I like the flowers," the girl smiled, holding them up to her nose.

"You can't smell them, dummy," he chastised her without any real heat. "They're paper." He flicked one of them with his fingers.

"I can pretend," she said stubbornly.

"You're insane," he informed her sweetly, kissing her forehead.

"Kikyo!" her date suddenly called, making her jump. He was running back to her after realizing that he'd been talking to himself for the past few minutes. She gasped and went to head him off before he got too close, disappearing out of view just as InuYasha turned his head. He furrowed his brow in confusion, hoping the name he had heard was just a coincidence.

"InuYasha?" Kagome asked, mischief in her voice.

"Yeah?" He turned back to her.

"You know, I think you missed."

"Did I now?" He raised an eyebrow at her, smirking.

"Mhm." She nodded her head. "My lips are right here," she said, pointing to them with her index finger coyly.

"You sure about that? I thought they were here," he kissed her forehead again, "or here," he kissed her cheek, "or here," he kissed her nose.

"Gosh, do they teach you nothing in school?"

"Nothing at all," he replied, kissing the intersection of her neck and jawbone right below the ear.

"Okay, you're way off there," she laughed, partly because he was being so silly and partly because that was actually really ticklish.

"Maybe I'll just have to keep try-" InuYasha was suddenly cut-off by a sharp and painful kick to his hip, and his mouth opened in shock before he looked behind him at his assailant. "You!" he yelled, leaping up and causing Kagome to topple over with a squeal before taking after the cackling, orange haired little boy.

"You're going to end up in a shallow grave, you little brat!" InuYasha vowed, racing past the very surprised pair of Miroku and Sango just moments after the child, whose main objective was to lead InuYasha into the shallow pond nearby in which a few children were steering remote controlled boats. Sad to say, the younger boy succeeded, and this time it was InuYasha walking home with wet shoes, not to mention wet everything else.

.~*~.

"Kouga."

"Holy shit!" the boy shouted, startled. He turned around from the table covered in recently acquired trinkets that he had been bent over, breathing heavily, and saw a man with wavy black hair pulled back and brown eyes devoid of all warmth wearing a deep purple suit. "Fuck, how do you keep getting in here? Every time you pull this stunt I change the locks, and every time it makes no difference."

"Do you really think I'm stupid enough to reveal my secrets to you?" the man asked calmly, inspecting his fingernails. "That's beside the point, though. I came to collect my money."

"I don't have it yet," Kouga ground out through clenched teeth. Kami, this guy pissed him off.

"Well, that's really a shame, isn't it?" the man replied, looking up from his nails and arching an eyebrow, a satisfied smirk crossing his face at the prospect of what he was going to get to do next.

"I'm going to get it soon, though. I just got a call from my buyer. He's going to be here at 7:30, and I'll have more than enough to pay you back, then."

"Really? Since when did fortune decide to start smiling down upon you?"

"Since I got those beauties in the back," Kouga grinned. "I swear they're good luck. I'm almost sad to see them go, even if they do hurt like a bitch."

"Now who would be interested in those?"

"Only one of the wealthiest families in Tokyo," Kouga bragged. "I'm going to be loaded after this. Don't be surprised if you end up working for me sometime soon, Naraku."

"Don't be surprised if you wind up dead," the man said calmly, turning around and starting to walk out of the warehouse, though his interest was secretly piqued. "If the money isn't in my hands by 10:00 tonight, that will most certainly be the outcome."

Kouga's face drained of colour, but he managed to stammer after him, "Don't-don't worry. It will b-be."

* * *

><p><strong>AN:** *Sings* Two new people poppin' up! :P Okay, so now this: I have recently come up with a bajillion story ideas, and I'm going to start a new one. I will admit that I am hesitant to working on two stories at once, but hopefully it'll be good to be able to take a break from one and work on another when I get stuck. Also, you all have permission to beat me with sticks/harass me incessantly if my updates become too infrequent due to this. :P So, thanks to my reviewers:

Saria Forest14, The Curri of Life, xbeautyxxisxxlifex, 2JACOBLUVERS, rite4fun, LiveInColor, SilverStellaStevieWonderboyX, kimiko888, Jen, Osuwari13, TheOnlyException, and fluffyedi.

My gosh, I'm worn out. So...busy...*flops head on desk*. Anywho, I'd love to hear in reviews which laser tag name was your favourite/one you would use. Mine would be Captain Awesome, all the way. Yeah, I'm not conceited at all. XD Now I'm going to go pass out. :P


	18. And A Little Bit of That

**Disclaimer: **No, I don't own InuYasha or any of the characters. I'm sure Takahashi-sensei is much more timely than me.

**A/N:** Sorry, sorry, and twenty-million more sorries. My excuses: I went on a manga/anime binge that sufficiently distracted me for a very long time (and is still doing so. Damn Fullmetal Alchemist and Netflix! :P), it's my grad year and I have things like Grad Transitions and a lot of homework, and I got a new laptop and it took me a long time to get used to writing on it. But all this doesn't really matter, because I should have buckled down and written. I'm sorry. Thanks goes out to fluffyedi and EndlessIdeas for kicking my butt and getting me writing, and to StevieWonderboyx, for being there to chat. :)

* * *

><p><strong>As Day Turns to Night<strong>

**Chapter 18-And A Little Bit of That**

"Kagome!"

"Hey, Hojo!" she chirped back brightly.

"Hi to you as well, InuYasha," the boy waved.

"Hi," InuYasha grunted, leaning up against the locker next to Kagome's. She shot him a glare and he stuck his tongue out in response. Hojo was oblivious.

"Were you sick again, Kagome?" Hojo inquired, concern obvious in his voice. "You weren't here yesterday."

Kagome and InuYasha exchanged meaningful glances, not wanting to admit that they had been skipping. "Er, yeah," she coughed. "It was a persistent cold."

"I can imagine," he said sympathetically. "Would you like me to pick up anything for you from my family's shop?"

"Oh, no, I'm fine now," she assured him. "All good." She gave him a thumbs up and a smile to demonstrate.

"Well, I'm glad to hear it. Anyway, on to my second order of business: have you heard about the dance the school council is trying to organize?" He held out a flyer happily.

"Uh, no, I haven't," she said absentmindedly, taking the paper and scanning it.

"Well, we need at least 500 people confirmed to come, and I was hoping you could be one of them. Maybe you could even be my date?" Hojo asked nervously, rubbing the back of his head.

InuYasha snapped to attention, standing up straight and making Kagome turn to look at him sheepishly, biting her lip.

"I-I don't know about that, Hojo," she stammered, unsure of what to do. "Can I think it over?"

"Sure," he replied, only slightly less chipper. "Take as much time as you need. I'll see you later, okay?" he said, giving a small half-wave as he backed up and then left the room.

Kagome exhaled, relieved, and stared down at her feet. However, she could feel eyes watching her unnervingly, and she pulled her head back up again. "Don't give me that look," she told InuYasha.

"What look?" He feigned ignorance, though his voice was harsh. "I have no idea what you're talking about."

"I didn't agree, did I?" she continued, refusing to play along.

"But you didn't decline," he shot back.

"I just don't want to hurt his feelings, all right? He's a nice guy, unlike some people." She glared at him pointedly.

"When have I been anything but nice?"

"You beat up little children."

"That was not a child; that was hell spawn, and you know it."

"Well, how about this, then? I won't get on your case about that, and you won't get on mine about Hojo." He gave her a dubious look. "Trust me; I can handle it."

"Doesn't mean I'm any happier," he grumbled.

"Aw, you're so jealous," she cooed teasingly.

"Right," he scoffed. "I'm jealous of _that_ guy. He's like a fucking cheerleader, with how damn peppy he is."

"Just admit it; you're j-e-a-l-o-u-s."

"Am not."

"I'm not playing this game with you. I grew out of that about ten years ago."

"Keh."

.~*~.

"Okay-ready, set…go!"

"Albatross, Alaska, aardvark, anchor, alchemy, animal, apex, apple…um…"

"Ten more seconds," Miroku warned.

"Aaaa…vacado, avalanche…" Sango paused, concentration written all over her face.

"Three, two, o-"

"Allegory!"

"-Ne," Miroku finished, while Sango pumped her fists in the air. "What are you celebrating?" he asked with a sly smile.

"There's no way you can beat that," she smirked.

"We'll see," he smirked back.

"Would you two mind keeping it down?" a black-haired boy grumbled from a few desks up to the left. "I'm trying to sleep here."

"Get over yourself, Bankotsu," Sango snapped. "No one went and made you king."

"Yeah, just see if you can keep up with that shit when Kichida-sensei returns."

"Mwlah." Sango made an incomprehensible sound and stuck her tongue out at the other student's back.

"Just a word of advice, Sango," Miroku whispered. "Try _not_ to mess with the people in detention." He nervously gestured to the assorted and…interesting students around them, filling up about half the desks in the cramped, musty room.

"I can take them all on," she said vehemently.

"I don't doubt that," he acquiesced. "But it might be best to not get yourself into that situation in the first place."

"Just take your turn," she ordered, holding her phone timer at the ready.

"All right. I hope you're ready for a beating." An evil grin crossed his face.

"Don't make me laugh."

.~*~.

"So, grumpy-pants, do you want to do anything today?"

"Pants cannot be grumpy," InuYasha replied sullenly. "And no, I don't much feel like doing anything."

"Really? Not even helping me study for that stupid math test that's coming up?" she pleaded, clutching his arm and blinking at him sweetly as they walked along the sidewalk.

"Are you going to guilt-trip me if I don't?" He raised an eyebrow at her.

"May-be," she grinned.

"Fiiiiine," he agreed reluctantly, making Kagome giggle. "What's so funny?"

"You sound like a whiny girl," she told him, still laughing.

InuYasha didn't know whether to laugh or be pissed. He settled for his old standby. "I do not, damn it! Besides, isn't that sexist, or demeaning to women or something?"

"Says the guy who calls me hysterical half the time," she scoffed.

"Hey, that's not a comment about women, that's a comment about you. Really, Kagome." He shook his head. "My father would be so ashamed."

"Your father?"

"Never mind." InuYasha brushed it aside, not wanting to bother to explain. Kagome shrugged, and they continued along the way to his house. The conversation dropped off, partly because it had come to its natural end, but also because the two were preoccupied-InuYasha with darting his head around every few moments and Kagome with watching him do so.

"Are you okay?" she asked after about five minutes of this. "You're acting like a rabid gopher who snuck into a coffee shop."

"Uh, no, it's nothing," he said unconvincingly as he turned to look behind him for the twentieth time. He had the eerie sensation they were being followed, even though there was nothing to suggest that. It was unnerving, but he didn't want to freak Kagome out for no good reason.

"You sure about that?"

"Yeah. Now come on," he said, grabbing her hand and pulling her along faster. "Let's just get home."

.~*~.

"So, what do you think?"

"They're old," Sesshoumaru commented dryly.

"Very astute." Inu no Taisho rolled his eyes. "Any other keen observations?"

"Certainly not worth what you paid for them."

"Our little secret is, though."

"We would not have had to worry about that, though, if you hadn't managed to produce such a dullard," he responded.

"What happened happened, and it was not necessarily your brother's fault. Besides, I think they make a nice addition to my office," Inu no Taisho said, admiring the swords hanging on the dark wood wall behind his desk.

"Is that all you needed me for?"

"Why the rush? Do you have a hot date?" his father winked.

Sesshoumaru paused. "No, no I don't."

Inu no Taisho looked confused. "Why do you sound sad about that? You've never been one to care about whether you had plans or not."

"I'd prefer not to be reminded of it."

.~*~.

"Sesshoumaru!"

He sighed as he recognized the voice and turned to see a perky girl running up to him across the campus. "Yes, Rin?" he said with as little disdain as he could manage.

"So, I have something for you," she smiled innocently, holding her hands behind her back.

"And that is?" he asked, bored.

"Ta-da!" Rin exclaimed, pulling her hands out from behind her back. "Arashi tickets!"

"Arashi tickets?" Sesshoumaru repeated, slightly shocked.

"Mhm," she nodded, pleased with herself. "I heard you liked them. They're for this Friday. Do you want to go with me?"

.~*~.

"I'm sorry to hear that?" Inu no Taisho ventured.

"Arashi is my favourite band, and I had the opportunity to go see them. Even though it meant I would have had to spend the night with Rin, it wouldn't have mattered, so long as I was there. But I was forced to decline, thanks to our family history," Sesshoumaru explained bitterly, then turned to leave the room.

"Wait!" Inu no Taisho called after him as he walked out. "Since when do you like boy bands?"

.~*~.

"What's this?"

"A photo."

"And this?"

"Another photo."

"And this?"

"Cocaine."

Kagome glared at InuYasha, unimpressed.

"What?" he asked defensively. "You're asking me what they are when they are all obviously photographs."

"I'm just trying to get a little more description from you about what's going on in them."

"You have eyeballs, don't you? Besides, I thought we were supposed to be studying for this test."

"Yeah, yeah," Kagome grumbled, reluctantly stepping away from the bookcase and walking over to his desk to take her seat on the foldout chair. "Have I ever mentioned I hate math?" She sighed and started tracing circles on InuYasha's arm, which was busy scribbling something in almost illegible writing in his notebook.

"Nooo, never heard that one," he said sarcastically, still preoccupied with what he was writing down.

"Really? I thought you might have by now, since I hate it."

"Here, solve this," he told her, ignoring her comments and pushing the paper toward her.

Kagome looked nervously at the page. _2(6^(2x))-74(6^x)+72=0,_ it read.

"Oh my gosh," she cried, putting her hands to her head. "I think my brain just exploded."

"Look, it's really not that hard," InuYasha said. "First, you write it as a quadratic equ-"

"No, don't even bother," she cut him off. "It's hopeless. Totally and completely hopeless. See, math is the fiery itch under your skin that you cannot determine the location of; consequently, you suffer in agony until math decides it is finished with you. That's how it works."

"Yeah, that's not a bleak outlook at all."

"I'm going to fail," she moaned. "I'm going to fail and then I won't graduate and then I won't go to university and then I won't get a job so I won't have any money and then I'll wind up on the street living in a cardboard box, dancing for change and wearing clothes I found in a dumpster!" Her voice turned into a high-pitched wail, and InuYasha grimaced slightly.

"Isn't that a little dramatic?" he asked sympathetically.

"No," Kagome sobbed, flopping her head on the desk. "It's not dramatic at all. It's the truth, and it's horrible. I lied the other day at the park. I don't want to be a hobo. I really don't." She sniffled and looked up at him with wet eyes.

"It's okay?" InuYasha tried, patting her head gingerly.

"That's really reassuring," she snapped.

"I'm sorry that I don't know how to deal with a crying girl who's a fan of hyperboles! Look," he said exasperatedly, running his hands through his hair, "how about we just try this question, okay? I promise it's really not that hard, and I'll guide you the whole way through it. Just please stop crying?"

"Okay," she agreed, wiping at her eyes. "Sorry about that. This is just…frustrating."

"I realize that, but have some faith in me. I'm Captain Awesome, remember? I can do anything, including teaching you math."

"Right," she giggled. "I apologize for doubting your abilities."

"Apology accepted. Now, math?"

"Fine," she groaned, flopping her head back down.

.~*~.

The phone started vibrating on the desk while playing an assortment of chimes to alert him that someone was calling. InuYasha's ears flattened against his head. He had tried to pick the least grating ringtone, but really, they were all horrible.

"Hello?" he said after pressing the button, not bothering to pick it up and try to awkwardly position it between his mouth and the ears that the device wasn't made to suit. He could hear the other person just fine leaving it on the desk-well, he would have been able to, if whoever it was had been saying anything.

"Hello?" he tried again when there was no response. That didn't elicit any sound, either. He actually couldn't hear anything at all, except for a faint rustling. "Fine then," he said, annoyed already. "If you're not going to talk then I won't either." With that, InuYasha hung up, looking at the caller ID and only seeing, _Unknown Caller_, as a response. He shook his head and returned to his work – some stupid creative writing assignment that he really detested, which was made obvious by the fact that his page was mostly covered with doodles.

.~*~.

Kikyo sighed and leaned against the wall beside the pay phone, staring up at the buildings towering above her, their twinkling lights blinking down. A peeved-looking boy stood on the sidewalk in front of her on the uncommonly quiet street, his arms crossed and his foot tapping impatiently.

"Well, what's the hold-up? I thought you were going to talk to someone, but you just dialled a number and then hung up."

"Just give me a minute!" she barked, jerking her head back to glare at him.

He rolled his eyes. "You know, Kikyo, I'm getting really tired of this constant shit from you. How about I just take you back home and we call it quits from there?"

"No, that's all right. You can just leave," she said coldly.

"I should at least escort you back," he insisted.

"No, you shouldn't. Now go," she ground out between clenched teeth.

"Seriously, Kikyo-"

"Just go!" she yelled furiously. Shock passed over the boy's face and he took a step back, but then it quickly turned to anger.

"Whatever, then, you crazy bitch! See what I care!" he shouted over his shoulder, storming off and flipping her the bird.

Kikyo dropped to the ground once he was out of sight, pulling her knees up to her chest and sobbing softly into them, not even caring about how dirty the street probably was or what drunk guy might have vomited there after a really wild night. Her chest shuddered as she tried to calm herself down in vain. She mentally reminded herself that things really weren't as bad as she thought they were; she was just being melodramatic. So what if she had a habit of going out with jerks and losers who enjoyed the sound of their own voices more than they enjoyed her? And the only guy who had ever treated her well now hated her and was fooling around with some other girl? Who cared?

"Not me," Kikyo whispered to herself. "Definitely not me." She tilted her head back again and closed her eyes, letting the night air wash over her and dry the tear streaks on her cheeks.

"Uh…Miss?" a voice said hesitantly after she had sat there for a few minutes. She opened her eyes and looked at the middle-aged man standing awkwardly before her. "Are you okay?"

"Yes, I'm fine," she replied politely.

"Okay," he nodded. "Um, is there any reason why you're sitting on the ground?"

"No, not particularly."

He was obviously puzzled and unsure of what to say, but pressed on in a valiant effort. "Well, you probably shouldn't be sitting there, then, especially when you're alone. You never know what kind of strange-people are going to be wandering around at night."

"Thanks for the advice," she smiled.

He smiled back and stood there for a few moments, assuming she would take his suggestion.

"So…are you going to get up?" he asked when she didn't.

"No, and I probably never will."

.~*~.

InuYasha groaned in frustration and clutched at his head. He was pretty sure he now had the feeling that Kagome had felt earlier when she was trying to do math. He stared down at the paper.

_Write 500 words about something important you lost that you wish you could get back._

It sounded easy, but the key word was 'sounded'. He couldn't wrap his brain around it because it was…it was just too simple! InuYasha had lost plenty of important things in his life; he was sure of that, but for some reason he was drawing a blank now. He was caught up on how good it needed to be so he could get the best mark. It had to be deep, inspiring – revealing without being too revealing (he certainly had a lot he didn't want others to find out, even if it would make good writing material).

He leaned back in his chair, rubbing the bridge of his nose between his thumb and forefinger, trying to think. All he had managed to produce in an hour and a half were the words, _In my life_, along with scribbles of fiery cats and dragons and some creepy-looking centipede-thing.

.~*~.

"Kagome, phone!" she heard her brother call from downstairs. Kagome popped her head out from behind her book like a meerkat popping out from its hole and hopped off her bed, rushing down the stairs and almost losing her balance when one of her socked feet tried to slip out from under her.

"Hello?" she said breathily into the phone after picking it up from the hall table where Souta had left it for her.

"Hey?" InuYasha said from the other line. "You sound a little…"

"Hyper?" she offered. "Yeah, I'm hyper. I don't know why; I just get like this sometimes, you know?"

"Unfortunately I do know," he joked. "So…would you be willing to do me a favour?"

"Oh gosh, now I'm worried," she giggled. "Just what kind of favour would this be?"

She could practically hear the disdainful expression InuYasha undoubtedly had on his face. "Honestly, Kagome, you're worse than the pervert. Are you not supposed to be a sweet and innocent girl or something?"

"Bah." She waved her head dismissively. "That's for boring people. Anyway, what's up?"

"Well, I was hoping that you could help me with my Language Arts homework, since I so graciously worked with you on Math for four hours after school today."

Kagome feigned surprise. "What? The great InuYasha needs _my_ humble help? Unbelievable!" she declared in a strange accent that was a hybrid of a blustering Southern sheriff and an old British gentleman. "Unthinkable! Inconceivable!"

"Who are you? The short bald dude from The Princess Bride?"

"…Yes."

"Can you just help me with this? Please? I'm actually begging here, Kagome. You cannot refuse me." Kagome started laughing, and in his room InuYasha furrowed his brow. "What's so funny?"

"Begging!" She continued to laugh.

"I don't get i-" he started. Then it clicked. "Oh – oh, you are a horrible person. You realize that, right?"

"That's really not how you should be talking to someone whose help you need," she reminded him, still sounding amused.

"Kagome, I swear-"

"I was going to say you shouldn't swear," she interrupted, "but I won't. I will help you though."

"Finally! It's like trying to tell an old person that her hearing aid isn't working and she just keeps going, 'What? What? Speak up, sonny, I can't hear you!'"

"Okay, enough with the snappy remarks." She heard InuYasha scoff but ignored him. "What about Language Arts has you so befuddled?"

"It's that stupid writing assignment," he complained. "You know, 'Write about something important you lost that you wish you could get back', blah, blah, blah."

"So? What's the issue? That was easy. I finished it in less than an hour."

"Well, I have three words and some horrible drawings, so that theory doesn't really apply to me."

"Horrible like they're not drawn well or horrible like, 'Ew, InuYasha, that's horrible. You have a sick mind,'?"

"Focus, Kagome, focus."

"Right," she agreed, bobbing her head and taking the phone back up to her room, feeling that this was going to be a long night. "Um, so, what have you lost in your life?"

"Baby teeth. Plastic cars. Vegetables."

"Maybe something a little more recent," she suggested. "That would probably be more meaningful."

"What are you talking about? I lost all of those yesterday," InuYasha teased. "Well, I didn't really so much 'lose' the vegetables as much as I 'conveniently misplaced them'."

Kagome stopped on the stairs and turned around, heading toward the kitchen. She needed snacks, since she felt that this was going to be an even longer night than originally anticipated.

.~*~.

The three black haired girls, plus one black haired boy, watched eagerly from their desks as Kagome stood up at the front, waiting as the teacher marked her test. She had requested to have it marked early so she could find out how she had did, and the teacher had only acquiesced after she had pleaded for five minutes straight. All he wanted to do was go eat his lunch and finish rereading _Paradise Lost_, but could this girl even give him that? No, she couldn't. Instead, she stood in front of him, practically vibrating with her eyes squeezed shut as he graded her exam.

"Here," he said, thrusting it at her as he finished marking and got up, eyeing the four in the middle of the class, who quickly turned back to their lunches.

"Thank you, Watanabe-sensei," she said gratefully, bowing slightly. He nodded and walked out of the room, his book clutched eagerly in his hand.

Kagome held the paper out in front of her with trembling hands, taking deep breaths to calm herself and trying to work up the nerve to look. _One, two, three,_ she counted down in her head, and then flicked her eyes to the test. Her mouth dropped open, and she just stood there…and stood there…and stood there.

Her friends all shot each other curious looks, and InuYasha got up. "I'll go see what's going on," he offered, and walked up behind her.

"Kagome?" he said, extremely worried. "Is it good?"

She turned around and stared at him as if he was an alien. "Is it good?" she said slowly.

"It's not good?" He cringed.

"No. It's better than good. It's absolutely amazing!" she exclaimed, leaping up and throwing her arms around his neck. "I got eighty-five percent, you wonderful idiot!" She pulled back laughing, but then her expression grew serious and she grabbed his head in her hands, kissing the grin that had formed on his face when he had heard the news.

InuYasha's immediate reaction was total shock and it took him a moment to do anything, but once his brain finally grasped what was happening he deepened the kiss, running his hands down her back and drawing her closer to him. They stayed that way for a few moments, lost in each other's lips, until Kagome pulled back slowly and they both opened their eyes. InuYasha looked especially awestruck.

"That was so inappropriate," he said, trying not to laugh when he heard Yuka cry out and Ayumi coo, mixed with the various other sounds of disbelief from around the class.

"Thank you for your help," she smiled, wrapping her arms around his waist and leaning into him, sighing contentedly.

"You realize how much trouble we're going to get into for this, right? Unless we somehow manage to swear everyone here into secrecy…" he mused, resting his head on hers.

"Don't care," Kagome replied simply.

* * *

><p><strong>AN:** I'm sorry, I haven't really been in the writing groove, so I wouldn't call it my best work. :P I'll leave it up to you guys to comment on the end, while I comment on why Sesshoumaru likes a boy band. The answer: 'cause I'm a weirdo. That's why. :P So, now, we have a change up with the thank you's. I actually have too many reviews to reply to them all here (*laughs at the absurdity of that*) so I'll only be replying to unsigned reviews here. I'll send everyone else replies soon. So, thanks to:

LiveInColor, TheOnlyException, ViViD CoLoRs, TheOriginalMetallicPink, EndlessIdeas, rite4fun, Lionsheart13771, SariaForest14, StevieWonderboyx, fluffyedi (x2), SilverStella, xbeautyxxisxxlifex, Mrs. Inuyasha-Odair, Crazy With Happiness, The Curri of Life, ALLPEACENoWAR25, Osuwari13, and babyjay2fly.

Now, right after this, my new story is going up (a bonus for making you guys wait so long)! _In His Sleep_ won by like, one vote. :P So go check that one out now [after reviewing, of course ;)] And if I ever take that long again, berate me endlessly. I'm serious, people. It works. :P


	19. Kissing You

**Disclaimer:** Um, so there's this really awesome thing called InuYasha that you may or may not have heard of. Well, if you haven't, I don't own it. Just so you know.

**A/N:** :O Look, new format! Finally got around to doing it. It was a giant pain that took hours ('cause I also edited everything at the same time), but I'm glad I did, because some things were taken out of italics when characters were thinking things, which probably made it really confusing for new readers. So, sorry. Oh, and thanks to kolrussiakol for pointing out a mistake in the last chapter with the equation. It was actually supposed to look like this: _2(6^(2x))-74(6^x)+72=0, _which is a lot more stress-worthy than what is was. And a happy belated birthday to fluffyedi! I hope it was really awesome. :D

* * *

><p><strong>As Day Turns to Night<strong>

**Chapter 19-Kissing You**

"Kiyomizu-sensei is very condescending," InuYasha commented to Kagome as they walked home.

"Extremely," she agreed.

"'We have a strict no PDA rule at this school, and it is expected that _everyone_ follow it'," he said mockingly, talking in a high-pitched voice to imitate their principal. "'There are no exceptions. I would think that you are old enough by now to know how to follow the rules.' Keh," he scoffed. "At least she just let us off with a warning."

"Mhm," Kagome replied absently. InuYasha looked at her funnily.

"Something wrong?"

"Kind of. It's just…so, you know how I was thinking before that if I actually _did_ my miko training, instead of skipping out on it all the time, then I may be able to become powerful enough to purify you?"

"Yes, though you should try to keep your voice down," he said, glancing around the street to see if people had overheard.

"Oh, don't worry; they won't know what we're talking about. Anyway, the problem is the practice. I mean, people bring in things to be purified and sealed all the time, but it's all small stuff. How am I supposed to purify a demon if all I can do is cleanse the grounds or purify someone's cat?

"…Someone brought a cat to your shrine to be purified?"

"Yep. She swore it was possessed by an evil spirit."

"Was it?"

"No, I think it just really hated the name 'Sir Fluffikins.'"

"I think anyone would hate that name."

"Well then, guess what I'm going to be calling you from now on?" Kagome teased, nudging him in the side.

InuYasha narrowed his eyes at her. "You call me that and I call you…Schmoopie. Yeah, I'll call you Schmoopie."

"Hey, I like that!" she giggled.

"…Damn. That didn't work out at all for me, did it?"

"Nope," she grinned, pleased with herself. "But seriously, I don't know how I'm supposed to do this, especially if I'm being taught by my grandfather. He talks big but he can't really back it up." She shook her head disappointedly.

"Nobody said you had to try to do anything," he reminded her. "You took it upon yourself for whatever reason. I think it's a lost cause, though."

"Don't be so negative."

"I'm not. I just have the feeling that it can't be fixed," he said vaguely, not wanting to admit outright that that weird dream he'd had awhile ago actually had some weight on his opinion.

"Again, don't be so negative."

"Ah, the eternal optimist," InuYasha sighed. "Annoying as hell for the pessimists like myself." He winked at Kagome, who gave him a light whack on the chest.

"Anyway, would I be able to drag your butt anywhere tonight for some fun?" she asked.

"Not tonight; I have plans. You can come and watch Miroku and I kill each other, though."

"What?" She looked at him worriedly.

"Video game night," he clarified.

"Oh, I see. Well, sounds nice, but…"

"Not into video games?"

"Not particularly. At least not ones with things getting killed in them."

"That's fine. Besides, you would probably nag me for all the swearing."

"I don't nag."

"You do so," InuYasha replied as they came up to his house. "Anyway, Sesshums and the rest await," he said, jerking his head in its direction. "I'll see you soon."

Kagome stopped on the sidewalk and watch him walk up the pathway to the front door and go inside. "That was it?" she said to herself as the door shut. She sighed and tilted her head upward toward the sky. The sun shone happily, making its way down to its goal of the horizon, though it was still a way from reaching the target. _I supposed I shouldn't have expected one kiss to suddenly make him Mr. Sensitive_, she thought. _He's never been very affectionate, and when he is it doesn't last long. _"And he can be a bit of a dolt when it comes to feelings," she muttered under her breath as she started walking again.

Her brown penny loafers made their way down the sidewalk, gladly propelling her forward while she was lost in thought. The phrase wouldn't leave her mind. _That was it? That was it. Was that really it? Yes, really, that was it._ It was the question and the answer. There was nothing for her to do but accept it; and yet, she couldn't. It was maddening, if one asked her. There was no one there to do that, though…

"Kagome!" she heard someone call out from behind her when she was about a block from the shrine. She turned around just as she heard a screech of tires and saw a beaming boy in a tight black and yellow cycling outfit pull up.

"Kouga?" she said, surprised, as he dismounted from his bicycle.

"The one and only," he replied cheerily, pushing the bike over to her. "It's nice to see you."

"Yeah…" she said unsurely and started walking again, trying to get home as soon as possible and not particularly wanting to talk to him. Really, she would have talked to anyone but him, even some random bum in the street. Who knew? A random bum could probably offer her some good advice about life. It would at least be better than whatever the new arrival had to say, since she wasn't feeling particularly charitable toward him at the moment.

"So, how's it going?" he asked, following her and wrapping one arm over her shoulder while keeping the other on the handlebars.

"Fine," she answered, trying to shrug his arm off.

"Just fine? That's not good. The mutt has been treating you right, hasn't he?"

"InuYasha's fine," she told him stiffly.

"Again with the word fine. Are you sure everything's okay? You don't seem okay," he observed, looking at her with obvious concern.

"I'm good, Kouga." She couldn't keep the annoyance out of her voice. After the day had started off so well the rest of it had been a letdown; now she just wanted to go lie on her bed, sketch her millionth picture of Buyo, and pretend that she didn't feel the way she felt. But here she was, being pestered and unable to put up with it for very long.

He was obviously taken-aback by her tone. "Kagome, something's bothering you; I'm sure of it," he tried again, "and I want you to know that you can tell me about it."

Now that got to her – that arrogant, condescending tone. He just assumed that she would want to talk to him, of all people, did he? Her emotions bubbled up beneath the surface and she fought to keep them from boiling over, but it was in vain.

"And why would I tell you anything?" she yelled, losing her temper. "I barely know you and you were the one who kidnapped my boyfriend, never mind the fact that he's being an idiot at the moment! Do you realize how worried I was then? Do you realize that I can't help the person I want to help the most? Do you realize that I just got what I had wanted for _so_ long today, yet somehow I'm not happy, and what a terrible person that makes me feel like? Do you? Do you?" She stood there in front of him, her fists clenched, the anger radiating off her in waves.

"Kagome…I-I," he stammered.

"No!" she continued. "'You don't' anything! Just leave me alone, damn it!" She ran off toward her house, trying to keep the tears from falling, while Kouga stood there with his bike, dumbstruck.

.~*~.

"InuYasha, there's a boy at the door to see you," his mother told him.

InuYasha paused the game, causing Miroku to make a slight sound of annoyance. He had been really close to beating him for once. "A boy?"

"Yes. He says it's important. His name's Uchida." She disappeared from the doorway and went back into the other room at the whistle of a kettle.

"Oh, him. Lovely," he said sarcastically, getting off the couch and walking through the cheery, golden kitchen to get to the genkan, grabbing an apple along the way. "So, what does your ugly mug want?" he asked as he opened the door, biting down on the bright red fruit.

"What the hell did you do to her, you jackass?" Kouga bellowed, grabbing InuYasha by his uniform's collar and pulling him forward, causing a chunk of apple to lodge itself in the hanyou's throat.

"Shit," InuYasha managed between coughs. Kouga rolled his eyes and gave him a large slap on the back. The piece of apple was freed, though probably more because of InuYasha's frantic coughing rather than Kouga's excuse to hit him. "You could have killed me!" he exclaimed angrily.

"That wouldn't have been a bad thing, considering how awful you made poor Kagome feel!"

"How did I make her feel awful?" InuYasha was confused. Really, really confused.

"That's what I want to know!"

"Look, Kouga, I really have no idea what you're talking about," he protested. "When I said goodbye to Kagome after school today she was perfectly fine, so I don't know what I could have done." _Unless it was the kiss,_ his mind piped up. But Kagome had initiated that, not him, so why would she be upset over it? Did she regret it? Did she not want to be involved with him now?

"-freaked out on me and said you were being an idiot, so I'm assuming the freak-out was because of your idiocy," Kouga blabbered along, not noticing that InuYasha had been lost in his own thoughts and had only picked up on the last half of his sentence. At least it was the important half.

"She freaked-out?"

"Yeah, big time."

"God damn it," InuYasha muttered, heading back into the house and ignoring Kouga's cries about just where he thought he was going. Miroku looked at him quizzically as he entered the den, shutting off the console and telling him, "I have to go."

"To do what?" Miroku asked, tilting his head to the side.

"Take care of something," he sighed and grabbed his cellphone off the coffee table in the middle of the room. "I'm not sure when I'll be back."

"Oh, a mysterious act, is it?" the lecher teased as InuYasha walked out of the room. "Nice," he said approvingly. "The ladies always like that."

"Mom, I'm leaving for a bit," InuYasha informed Izayoi, who was sitting at the kitchen table reading a magazine. "Don't let Miroku eat all the good food."

"Where are you going?" she called after him as he made his way to the genkan.

"Kagome's," he called back over his shoulder.

"Ooooh," she said excitedly to herself, and then flipped to the wedding section of the magazine, humming happily while sipping her tea. She was too distracted by floral arrangements to notice Miroku, who had heard what InuYasha had said and decided to steal his favourite chips just to spite him, sneak in and out of the kitchen, triumphantly clutching the junk food bag containing his delicious potato bounty.

.~*~.

A persistent knocking echoed throughout the Higurashi household, disrupting all but the old man in the living room, who was partially deaf and too absorbed in his newspaper to take heed.

"Dad, can you get that?" Mrs. Higurashi called from the kitchen where she was stirring a pot of sauce close to burning as the oven beeped frantically at her. "Dad?" she called again when she heard no response.

"Don't worry, Mom; I'll get it," Souta said as he ran by the kitchen from the TV room to the front door.

"Thank you, Souta, dear," she smiled gratefully and went back to her cooking.

"Hello?" The little boy opened the front door to reveal two very grumpy boys with long black hair, one of whose was pulled up into a high ponytail. Neither had enjoyed the walk over to Kagome's house with each other and it was apparent on their faces.

"InuYasha!" Souta exclaimed happily, grinning at the one wearing the boy's black, high-collared uniform from Kagome's school. "Who's this?" He pointed to the one in the weird, revealing spandex.

"No one important," InuYasha said, entering the house as Souta stepped out of the way to let him in and taking off his shoes. Kouga grumbled at that but they both ignored him. "Where's Kagome?"

"Upstairs," Souta answered.

"Did she seem mad when she came home?"

"I dunno. I didn't see her," the little boy shrugged. "She just went straight to her room."

"Hmm. Well, I'm going to go check on her."

"I'm coming too!" Kouga put in. InuYasha turned back to look at him with disdain.

"You are not."

"I am," he repeated stubbornly.

InuYasha rolled his eyes and sighed beleagueredly. "Souta, tell this idiot that he can't come in."

"You can come in," Souta said.

"Hey!" InuYasha shouted as Kouga stepped smugly inside the house. "I said _not_ to let him in."

"I need someone to play Megaloids with, though. We can do that while you go talk to Kagome."

InuYasha looked at the kid strangely. "So let me get this straight: you are going to let a strange guy that you've never met before and is wearing clothes that clearly scream pervert-"

Now it was Kouga's turn to yell, "Hey!"

"-into your house so he can play video games with you?" he continued without skipping a beat.

"I will have you know that this is expensive, top-of-the-line biking wear!" Kouga informed them indignantly.

"I thought you said you were in major debt just a few days ago?" InuYasha countered, raising an eyebrow at him.

"Uh…it's new," Kouga muttered lamely.

"Right." The hanyou shook his head and turned back to Souta. "So?"

"Well, do you think he's okay?" the little boy asked.

InuYasha appraised the azure-eyed teenager in the entryway. "Kid, I really can't say."

"I think he's fine," Souta announced, grabbing Kouga's hand and pulling him through the hall. "You have to be Googlamoid!" he informed him happily.

"I have to be what now?" Kouga exclaimed, thoroughly worried.

As the other two took off ahead, InuYasha made his way past the living room where Mr. Higurashi sat – the presence of the two boys still unbeknownst to him – and up to Kagome's room, going by the warm kitchen filled with delicious smells where Mrs. Higurashi was making dinner and the TV room, in which Souta had now dragged Kouga to the floor and was trying to force the older boy into giant-robot combat with him, something that didn't please Kouga in the slightest.

"Kagome," InuYasha said hesitantly after reaching the hallway at the top of the stairs, knocking on her door softly. There was no response from inside. "Kagome?" he tried again. Nothing. He sighed and turned the handle, but it didn't open. He glanced at his watch. Unfortunately, they'd had cleaning duty after school today, so it was already 4:49. Sunset was at 6:37. He could not afford to be standing around here forever. "I really don't have time for this, Kagome!" he informed her with a pleading edge.

Then he heard a small, meek voice speak from inside the room. "I'm gross, though."

"You're what?" he asked, unable to hear her clearly through the door. There was a pause and then the door handle turned. He stepped back and it opened, revealing Kagome with her head down.

"I'm gross," she repeated, sniffling.

"What do you mean?" He looked at her with concern.

"I've been crying and now I look awful," Kagome said, still not lifting her head.

"Why have you been crying?"

"I don't know!" she wailed, burying her head in InuYasha's chest.

"Kagome, it's okay," he soothed her, putting his arms around her back and running his hand up and down it as she sobbed.

"It's not okay!" she protested. "I have nothing to be upset about, so why can't I stop crying?"

"Uh, I can't really answer that one," InuYasha confessed. "Are you sure nothing upset you? There must be a reason."

"I just…" she started, but trailed off.

"Just what?" he prodded, trying to get an answer from her, really, anything, as long as she stopped crying.

"Do you know how happy I was at lunch today?" she asked, pulling away to look up at him expectantly. Her nose was red and her eyes were a little puffy, but she certainly didn't look gross.

"Pretty happy?" he ventured. "You did do really well on that test."

She sighed and pressed the top of her head back into his chest. Once again, he had missed the point. Things obviously needed to be spelt out for him.

"We've been going to school together for more than two years. You know how long I've liked you?"

She could feel his body move as he shook his head.

"More than two years. I saw you and you were just…I don't know, just you. But you carried this air of unapproachability around you. I didn't know what to do. I was too shy to tell you how I felt, and I didn't want to be rejected, but I still wanted to be with you. So, I said 'hi' every time I saw you. I smiled and waved at you in class. I decided to keep myself in your mind until I worked up the courage to do something more. I didn't realize it would take me so much time, though, and before I knew it our last year was starting. That little voice in my head reminded me that there was a chance it would be now or never. It reminded me that I had to do something unless I wanted to live with regret. Then I ran into you outside the library that day. I was startled. My heart was pounding and all I could feel was adrenaline coursing through my veins. I could barely form a coherent thought, but I think that that was what I needed: to get myself out of my own way. For that moment, my brain pushed all the doubts and fears away and I asked what I had wanted to ask for so long. And you accepted."

He could feel her pressing tighter against his body, a fragile little thing, but amazingly strong at the same time. Her arms wound around his torso, holding on like it was for dear life. As she explained, he wondered what it was like for her to hold in those feelings for so long. He wondered if she had been lonely, the cheery girl he saw each day just a façade, full of pent up emotions. He wondered if she had felt trapped by something that was out of her control just like he always had.

"You're a tough one, InuYasha," she continued, sighing deeply. "Today, in class, I felt the same way I did a few weeks ago. The adrenaline rush got to me; I was just so happy. I stepped out of my own way once more, and, well…you obviously know. When you didn't reject me again, I thought I had broken through that barrier you put up, the one I had been working on this whole time. But then, after school, it was as if nothing had happened. Sure, you mentioned it, but in a way that made it seem like it meant nothing to you. And then you just said 'I'll see you soon'. Why…why did you only say that?"

"Uh…" He paused, searching for the right answer, but none came to mind. What the hell did she want him from him? That was what you said when you left someone for a bit. Did she not understand that? What more did she want from such a simple thing? "I don't…I don't know, Kagome. I didn't think it was that big of a deal."

InuYasha felt her laugh against him. Her frame shook with the vibration, and he wondered just what was so funny when she had been crying only a few minutes ago. "You're right. It wasn't that big of a deal. I'm just being silly. I'm sorry." Kagome undid the knot that her arms had formed around him and moved away, wiping at her eyes and smiling. "I can get a little too emotional at times."

His face hardened. She was blatantly lying to him. Did she really think he was that big of an idiot? Maybe he didn't have a whole lot of common sense sometimes, but he knew enough to tell that she didn't believe a word she was saying, either. How could she attempt to get him to buy something like that when she didn't even have conviction in it? He certainly wasn't about to let her get away with dismissing all of this as nothing, not after what she had just said. He could only think of one way to do that, though.

"Damn it, Kagome!" InuYasha all but yelled, cupping her face in his hands and bringing her lips to his. He didn't know any other way to express what he needed to. Words were not his strong suit, at least when it came to feelings and that kind of shit. Sure, a snarky remark was never a problem for him, but when he actually had to convey something important it didn't always work out too well. So, he chose this option instead. And he had to admit: it certainly was a nice option. A nice, soft, good-smelling option.

Her eyes grew wide at the sudden surprise and her body tensed. This was not what she had expected. Not in the least. However, her lids soon closed, her body relaxed, and it wasn't long before her arms slowly drew around his neck and her feet rose up, giving her a better position in which to return the affection. Why fight what she wanted? Even if he hadn't given her the answer she had wanted. Even if he was still as thick as a post. Even if she hadn't said all she had wanted to say. That could all be worried about later. Right now she was in the moment, and she intended to enjoy it.

Their lips moved slowly over each other's as they savoured the feel of their perfect fit. They locked and released again and again, the motion speeding up each time. Her finger twirled around a strand of his long black hair, and his thumbs slowly ran back and forth across her cheeks, his palms still grasping her face to give himself the best access to her delicate smile. He bit gently at her lower lip and she giggled, still keeping her sweet pout locked to his.

"No, I am not going to play another round of that dumb game with you!" came an angry voice from downstairs overtop of the whines of a child. "Besides, they've been quiet up there for way too long, and I need to go check and see how much worse mutt-face has made things."

"Who are you and what are you doing in my house?" another voice chimed in, this one even more upset than the other. "Where's my broom?" it yelled.

"Hey, you little brat, get off me!" the first one shouted, now drawing nearer. There was a steady, rhythmic sound of clumping up the stairs mixed in with occasional grunts and curses. Kouga appeared at the top of the stairs after a short time, glaring angrily at the little boy glued to his leg like a barnacle. His gaze was quickly averted to the scene in front of him, though, and his jaw dropped in shock and rage. "Come on, now!" he complained. "You were supposed to fix what you had done, not stick your tongue in her mouth!"

InuYasha's left hand detached from its position on Kagome's cheek momentarily to raise its middle finger to Kouga, who rolled his eyes.

"Real mature," he grumbled.

* * *

><p><strong>AN:** Wow, kind of drama-y. :P All those emotions were hard to write, too. I think I got stuff across, though, albeit a little convolutedly. :P Oh, and the title of this chapter comes from _Kissing You,_ by SNSD. I was listening to it the whole time I edited (which was a _long_ time today), and I just thought it fit. Now, thank you's:

FreeFaller- Lol, that made me laugh. XD And I hurried, I hurried! ;)

LiveInColor- Just a tad. ;) And thanks. :)

TheOnlyException- Thank you! :D

EndlessIdeas- Aw, thanks. :)

kristi- Yes it, does. :O And thanks so much. :D

fluffyedi, SilverStella, ALLPEACENoWAR25, Mrs. InuYasha-Odair, xbeautyxxisxxlifex, Runningshadow135, TheCurriOfLife, Saria Forest14, BuffyandChris (x2), PrincessRini707, kolrussiakol, 1411alexis (x3), and alba angelo.

Now, next chapter is number 20. I was actually thinking originally that this would be a 20 chapter story, but it kind of got out of hand (in a good way, of course). Now it may be more like 40. :P As well, the 200 review mark is approaching. If I get 16.5 for this one and the same for the next one I will have 200 at 20! That would make me happy. :D So, review! And replies shall be sent out shortly to those who have not already received them.


	20. You Want A Reason?

**Disclaimer:** I don't own InuYasha. Seriously, my drawing skills are limited. :P

**A/N: **Hello there. Long time, no talk. :P Seriously, I'm super sorry. Things have been extremely crazy lately, with homework, grad, university, ect. It's hair-rippingness. This actually wasn't even going to be up tonight, but I just started writing and it didn't stop. It's 1 AM now and I'm going to regret staying up this late tomorrow, but I figured since I had finished I wouldn't hold out on you guys any longer. :) And it's only been edited once, so bear with me. :P

* * *

><p><strong>As Day Turns to Night<strong>

**Chapter 20-You Want A Reason?**

Kagome groaned in protest at the hand attempting to rouse her from her slumber, rolling over in her bed and pulling the covers overtop of her head.

"Come on, sleepyhead. Wake u-up," a voice sang cheerily.

"No. You'll never take me alive," she mumbled through the fog of sleep.

"What's that now?" The voice sounded surprised.

"Just try and pry this blanket from my cold, dead hands," she continued.

"Shit, Kagome, and I thought you couldn't get any more melodramatic."

"Hrm?" She moved the comforter so only her eyes were visible to see who was swearing at her first-thing in the morning. Of course, who else would it really have been?

"InuYasha, what are you doing in my bedroom?" Kagome grumbled at the black-haired, violet-eyed boy standing before her, none too pleased with her wake-up call.

"Getting your ass out of bed. You really shouldn't be sleeping the day away like this, Kagome. It's already nine-thirty."

"Says the guy who won't get out of bed before noon unless you dangle a steak in front of his face and say, 'Here, boy!'"

InuYasha glared at her, unimpressed. "You're trying my patience, woman. Besides, I'm up right now, aren't I?"

"Why are you up?" She looked at him suspiciously.

"Miroku called my cellphone repeatedly, and when I turned that off he wouldn't stop calling the landline. I eventually had to get up when Sesshoumaru beat my head in with a book because the noise was 'disturbing' him," InuYasha griped, crossing his arms and assuming a grumpy pout.

"So what does that have to do with me?" Kagome asked, stretching and yawning widely.

"He and Sango are going swimming, but she wants you to come with. And I figured if I have to be up this early, you have to as well."

"Fabulous," she muttered, getting out of bed and walking over to her dresser. InuYasha leaned against the wall and watched as she rifled through the drawers for a few moments, her hips swaying slightly as she did so. The movement drew his eyes downward, and though her fuzzy blue pyjamas covered in hearts weren't exactly revealing, he couldn't help but notice her…well, a nicer way to put it would have been 'curves'. The less nice way: ass.

"Please tell me you're going to be wearing a two-piece," he whispered in her ear after coming up behind her and wrapping his arms around her waist.

"You're a dog," Kagome said without much heat as she held up a light pink swimsuit with a skirt attached to the bottoms that made InuYasha want to swear under his breath (though the fact that it would also hide her butt from a certain lecher was reassuring) for inspection. "See what I did there?" she inquired innocently, turning her head around and craning it to look back at his face.

"Unfortunately," he replied, giving a long, torturous sigh.

"Good," she smiled, turning back to her dresser and bending down to grab a plain t-shirt and a pair of jeans out of the lower drawers. "I'd hate to have my brilliant sense of humour go to waste."

"…Right," he said, for once doing the smart thing and keeping his mouth shut, as he realized that most of the comebacks that had popped into his head would probably get him into deep shit.

"Anyhow, Mr. Pervert," Kagome continued, "I'm going to go get changed. I'll be back soon." She skipped off happily to the bathroom, clothes in hand, leaving InuYasha in her room to shake his head at Little Miss Mood-Swing. Seriously, that girl went from grumpy to cheery in one second flat, from spazzy to calm, from crying about him to kissing him…

He sighed and sat down on her bed. What exactly was he supposed to do about…that ('That', of course, meaning all the drama and general insanity that had gone on a little over week ago)? She hadn't brought it up since then, and it was a little worrisome. She certainly seemed contented enough throughout the past little while, laughing at school, making out with him in her room, and all that fun stuff, but, as he had learned, she was pretty damn good at hiding her feelings. And their little make-out session in the hall couldn't have totally fixed things. He had just done that because he'd had no fucking clue about what else to do. Well, he could have talked with her more, but he had been coming off as a total idiot already, and talking kind of sucked…a lot.

_What the hell am I supposed to do in this situation, _he wondered. It wasn't like he'd had a lot of experience with this kind of stuff. There had only been Kikyo, and that had neither lasted long nor gone well. The only thing he could think to do was leave the situation alone and hope that it worked out. It didn't sound like a very good plan, but…in the words of The Beatles, "Let it be." And if The Beatles said it, then it had to be right… Crap, he wasn't even fooling himself. He'd have to figure out something better than that…

"I'm read-y," Kagome sang, bouncing into the room and grabbing his hand. "Come on, let's go!" she exclaimed excitedly and pulled him off the bed, dragging him out of the room and his thoughts out of his mind.

.~*~.

"I wonder what's taking those two so long," Kagome mused as she sat on the edge of the pool, swishing her feet back and forth in the water. "Are we not the ones who are supposed to take forever to change?"

"I don't know for sure, but if I had to bet, I'd say that Miroku's probably trying to pick up some girl," Sango said bitterly from her perch beside Kagome.

"Now, Sango, how could you think so little of me?" a male voice filled with mock-disappointment said from behind them, and both of the girls turned around to see Miroku and InuYasha standing there on the tiled poolside floor.

"I go by experience," she shot back. "Was I right?"

"No, actually, you weren't. InuYasha held us up trying to get his bathing cap on. It was rather hilarious watching him try to stuff all his hair in there," Miroku laughed.

"Keh," InuYasha scoffed, crossing his arms and turning his head as the girls giggled at him.

"You both look lovely," the lecher commented approvingly to their companions. "Very, very lovely…" He ran his eyes appraisingly over their bodies, especially Sango's tight-fitting, dark-purple swimsuit, earning glares from them and a swift smack on the head from InuYasha.

"If you keep that up, pervert, I'll punch your eyes shut. Then you won't have no view at all, got it?" he growled menacingly.

"Testy, testy, testy," Miroku complained, rubbing the back of his head with an injured expression.

"Well, come on, Miroku," Sango started. "You should know better than to be checking out other guys' girlfriends."

InuYasha stiffened at that and went red, while Kagome let out a nervous, high-pitched giggle that went on for much longer than it should have.

"Oh, you finally made it official, eh?" Miroku said slyly, winking and nudging InuYasha's shoulder. "Congratulations. Why wasn't I informed, though? That hurts me a little…inside." He put his hand over his heart and adopted his greatest expression of deep, overwhelming pain.

"Actually, I was just bluffing," Sango chuckled. "Judging by their reactions, though, I think I may have hit the nail on the head. So, Kagome, how far have you two-"

"Oh, kami, heart-attack!" InuYasha suddenly shouted, making some fake choking sounds, grabbing his left arm, and then jumping into the pool right by where Sango and Kagome sat, causing them to let out shill screams as they were subsequently splashed with water from his antics.

"Jerk!" Sango yelled at him as he surfaced, grinning widely.

"Was that really necessary?" Kagome asked dryly, not amused.

"Hey, that was really good!" Miroku exclaimed, impressed. "Can you teach me how to fake it like that?"

.~*~.

Sesshoumaru stared at his pain-staking efforts disappointedly. The burnt rice seemed to stare back…though rice couldn't stare, but it still seemed as if it was judging him. He furrowed his brow in anger. Like he would allow a pot of rice to judge him. He grabbed it and forcefully dumped the ruined food into the trash, whacking the pot against the bin a few times for good measure, and then disposing of the container in the sink. After this, he leaned back against the counter, putting his hands on the edge behind him to brace himself and staring up at the ceiling contemplatively. Sad to say, he could not cook for the life of himself.

When he had awoken late that morning, (he normally rose at dawn after he changed forms, but he had stayed up extremely late the night prior trying to rearrange his clothing by colour, brand, occasion, and about twenty other different categories that probably mattered to no one except for him, which disappointed him greatly), after already arising once to beat InuYasha because his sexual-deviant companion was stealing his precious sleep, he had found no one to be home – a surprising revelation, given that his slob of a half-brother normally spent about half of the day laying about like the sloth he was, which normally wouldn't be changed by either a call or a possible concussion from _1Q84_ (a fabulous and extremely heavy book; perfect for bashing the little ruffian's head in). He assumed that his father and Izayoi had gone out somewhere, which would have been fine had they left him something to eat. There had been nothing in the fridge (that was acceptable to him, at least), though, which had left him two options: make something himself or order take-out. He had gone with the former. That had obviously been the wrong choice.

His pocket suddenly started vibrating, shaking Sesshoumaru from his thoughts. He pulled it out with a sigh of annoyance and flipped it open, pressing the answer button.

"Hello?" he said, crossing the arm that he wasn't using to hold the cellphone up to his ear.

"Hi, Sesshoumaru?" an extremely bubbly voice greeted him, putting a frown on his face.

"Yes, Rin?"

He heard a little gasp on the other end of the line. "You knew it was me?"

"Yes, it's not easy to forget who _that_ voice belongs to," he muttered, looking around the kitchen for something more interesting to occupy his time. Devoting only half of his attention to her would more than suffice. "Besides, there is such a thing as Caller ID."

"Oh, right," Rin laughed, and he couldn't help but think that she sounded like a total and complete ditz. No wonder he had such a lack of faith in humanity, if this kind of person populated the planet. "So, what are you up to?"

"Nothing of importance, for once," he grumbled, thinking about his failed experiment and not realizing what he had said. "I'm assuming that the same goes for you, as you have enough time to call me for idle chit-chat."

"Well, actually, I was calling to see if you wanted to come over to my house and maybe listen to the new Arashi CD? You said you aren't busy," she continued without skipping a beat at his insult.

"Already have it," was his bored response.

"Watch their music DVDs from last year?"

"Have those, too."

"Drink limited-edition Coke that comes in cans with the whole group on them?"

"Drank it."

"COME SEE MY POSTER FROM THE 2008 TOUR THAT IS SIGNED BY EVERY MEMBER?" Rin blurted out desperately, yelling loud enough that Sesshoumaru had to hold the phone away from his ear, even without his sensitive demon hearing.

"What's that now?" he inquired, intrigued, after he had returned the phone to its normal position.

"Yeah, um, one of my friends works security for the Tokyo Dome, and he got me backstage and I met all of them and they signed my poster," she said quickly, relieved that they were on the phone and Sesshoumaru couldn't see her picking at her nails, an unfortunate tell that made it easy for people to know when she was lying.

"Actually?" Sesshoumaru's mouth dropped open in amazement, something that he couldn't remember happening before.

"Yeah, so if you want to come over, you could see it and I could tell you about it-"

"I'm on my way," he broke in, hanging up the phone, and then running out the door after slapping on his shoes and snatching a coat from the closet.

Rin looked at the phone with a slightly stunned expression as it hummed its dial tone at her. He was coming over? Really? Had she accidentally taken some hallucinogenic drugs and this was actually a fevered dream that would end with her waking up to a reality of writhing on the floor from a bad trip?

"Wait," she mused aloud to herself, setting the phone down in its cradle and wandering into the living room. "Does he even know where I live?"

.~*~.

"And this one is called 'The Overweight Armadillo'," the lecher announced before running to the edge of the pool and jumping in with his knees tucked into his chest, breaking the water's surface with a mighty splash.

"Miroku, just because you call it something different every time does not mean it isn't a cannonball," Sango said beleagueredly from where she was treading water outside of his landing area. "Seriously, when you said you were going to show off your diving skills I thought I would be seeing cool things, not you doing the same move each time but with a stupider name." She rolled her eyes as he swam over to her with a mischievous grin. "And where have those two disappeared to? I swear, if they leave me alone with you for much longer…"

"So, in a nutshell, what you're saying is, 'That which we call a rose. By any other name would smell as sweet?" He chose to ignore her prior question and instead smiled innocently at her, making Sango roll her eyes once more.

"Quoting Shakespeare isn't going to help you, buddy."

"Really? Well, do you know what's a fair thought?"

"What?"

Miroku brought his mouth right to her ear, making a slight blush spread across Sango's face at his proximity. "To lie between maids' legs," he whispered evily, not realizing that it was the end for him as she brought her hand back in preparation to strike.

.~*~.

"Mmm…InuYasha?" Kagome said breathily, breaking her lips away from his and looking into his eyes as he frowned at the interruption. They were back in their street clothes, having given up on swimming almost as soon as they'd gone in the water, and were outside of the public pool on the side of the building, away from prying eyes.

"Yes?"

"Do you think Sango and Miroku are going to get mad once they realize that we've left?"

"Oh, don't worry about that," he reassured her, moving down to her neck and sucking at the skin just below her jawline. She let out a whiff of air and tilted her head up, wrapping her arms around his back as he nipped his way along the bone back to her gently parted lips, and then drew his head up to finish his thought. "They can both be pretty slow. I'm sure we have another few hours before they even clue in."

InuYasha captured her lips again, and she managed to mumble, "Fine," before his tongue thrust into her mouth, making it impossible for her to speak. She jolted slightly, not expecting quite _that_ much, but relaxed soon afterwards, returning the motion, though to a lesser extent, and running the tip of her tongue along his teeth, letting him explore her mouth as he wished. His arms moved from their position on her face, running down her back and pulling her body tight to his. He then pressed her up against the hard concrete wall of the building – making her glad that she wasn't claustrophobic – as all the space around her body seemed to disappear, being replaced by InuYasha and the stone.

He pushed her back even further, pulling his arms out from behind her and planting his hands firmly on her waist. His kisses became more urgent, almost frantic, as he sucked on her lower lip, pulling and teasing it until she didn't think it could swell any more. She panted roughly at every break he took for air, trying to calm herself in the all-too short yet all-too long amounts of time their mouths broke from each other.

This was going too far – much, much too far. Kagome knew that, yet she never wanted it to end. She didn't want him or anyone else to think that she was easy, or one of the many nasty 's' words one could mention, but she couldn't rebuke his affections; not when it had taken her so much patience to bring them out.

His hands started to push up shirt from around their hips, and she flinched as she felt his heated flesh on hers. She knew that sounded silly, since he had been ravaging her mouth for the past fifteen minutes or so, but feeling his touch down there made the situation all the more serious.

As he tugged the fabric up further her brain urged her to say something, though she doubted that it was necessary since he (hopefully) wouldn't go much further in a public place, but her feelings were a hard thing to share. Heck, there were still issues from yesterday that hadn't been solved with their make-out session and certainly weren't being solved with this one, and she knew that they needed to be addressed as well, but she couldn't bring herself to do it, just like she couldn't bring herself to say 'No' just yet.

Suddenly, InuYasha's hands stopped their journey upwards with her shirt, and his whole body stiffened. He jerked his head away from her lips and turned it to the left, staring intently at the bushes hiding the wrought-iron fence that separated a small play park from the street. He stood there, not saying anything, his grip loose on Kagome's waist and the pressure of his body upon hers now relieved.

"InuYasha?" she started hesitantly after he didn't say anything for a few moments.

He didn't look at her, but started to speak, slowly and with seemingly great consideration to his choice of words. "Do you notice anything…odd…over there?"

"What do you mean?" she wondered, gazing in the same direction as him. All she could see were bushes, the climbing structure beyond, and…the glint of silver hidden amongst the leaves? "Wait…I see…something shiny…"

"I do too," he said, and started walking with measured steps to the foliage. He kneeled down by the bushes and hesitantly picked up the silver metal, turning the oblong object over in his hand, inspecting it carefully.

"What is it?" she asked, still backed up against the wall.

"I'm not really sure," he answered, peering at it even more closely. The object looked somewhat like a pen, but with no tip or mechanism to operate it. It was nothing but smooth steel, unmarred and about as close to perfect as something could be. He frowned in puzzlement, trying to determine just what this was and who had left it. The reason he had been drawn to the bush, though he didn't want to tell Kagome for fear he would worry her, was because he had noticed a rustling amongst the leaves, as if someone was hiding there, watching. And now this was left for him to find? What the hell was all this?

InuYasha sighed and pressed down on his legs, standing up and making his way back to Kagome, who watched him with confusion clear on her face. "It's just some weird little metal thing. Probably a kid's toy; something stupid like that." He shrugged and put it in his pocket. "Sorry for stopping because of this. Shall we continue?" he inquired with a devilish smirk, resting his hand on the wall beside her head and closing the distance between their lips.

"Actually, I think we should go back inside before Miroku and Sango figure out we're gone," she suggested, pressing her fingers over his mouth, which he raised his eyes in surprise at.

"Aw, come on; that's no fun at all," he complained, pouting. "Besides, did I not tell you that we have plenty of time?"

"Yeah, but…" Kagome started to protest as InuYasha pushed her head upwards to gain better access to her neck and began sucking again, wiping the words from her mind. "Stop…stop it," she managed to gasp out. "You're going to give me a hickey…if you haven't…already."

"They're hidden by your hair," he murmured against her skin, his hot breath tickling her mercilessly. "And I really wouldn't mind it if there was a few for the world to see," he continued. "It would keep those other pesky guys away, namely, Hojo and Kouga."

"Well, aren't you possessive," she grumbled as he detached himself from her neck, bringing his head up to meet hers.

"You know it," he smiled seductively, making her body feel like it was going to melt right then and there. Damn him. When he wanted to be, he was irresistible. Luckily those times were few and far-between, unlike all the others filled with swearing, crudeness, and his trademark grumpy self. Otherwise she'd be under his spell constantly, and then Souta would have plenty of opportunities to ask what those funny purple marks were. She had to admit, though, that there was always something…indescribable about him. It was what had kept her infatuated for such a long time, and she both loved and hated it. 'It' was what was keeping her here right now, with his lips devouring hers, his hands running through her hair, his tongue breaking down every barrier she had put up. Damn him, damn it, damn it all. He had this power over her; hell, he could make _her_, of all people, swear! She only hoped that she had the same kind of power over him, in one way or another. If not, then that really, _really_ wouldn't be fair.

.~*~.

"I can't believe you left me alone with the pervert for _that_," Sango complained, crossing her arms and slouching down further on the bench.

"Sorry," Kagome apologized sheepishly, folding her hands in her lap and looking down at them. She let out a sigh and fiddled with a loose thread on her cardigan.

"Hey, what's that all about?" Her friend straightened up, tilting her head and looking at Kagome curiously.

"Nothing," she said lamely.

Sango rolled her eyes. "If it was nothing I wouldn't be hearing the sighs from you. And don't say that you don't want to talk, either, 'cause if you didn't then you wouldn't be making it so damn obvious that something was wrong."

Kagome looked at her glumly, knowing when she was beat. As much as she loved her, Sango was too perceptive for her own good.

"Was he no good?" Sango whispered, looking over surreptitiously to where the guys were standing by a food cart, ordering some okonomiyaki and having a way harder time of it than they should have been, as both were arguing over who was paying what amount, etcetera, etcetera.

"What? No!" Kagome hissed, narrowing her eyes, making Sango hold her hands up in defence.

"Just asking, honey, just asking."

"No, the problem is more that he's _too_ good," she sighed. "He went farther than I'd have liked today, and I couldn't tell him to stop, for various reasons."

Sango put a finger up to her mouth in thought. "Well, I guess that's better than him not being good. Um, how long has the 'fun' been going on for? From what I've gathered, you two have a nice little habit of keeping everything to yourselves."

"Like you're any different," Kagome scoffed, and Sango glared at her, unimpressed. "Let's see… So, first actual kiss was a week ago yesterday. After that there have been various minor things and a few relatively mild make-out sessions, but nothing like this, certainly."

"Well, maybe he just got caught up in the moment," she shrugged. "He didn't do anything that was a super big no-no, did he?"

"No, not really…"

"Talk to him, then. If you don't tell him then how is he supposed to know? I mean, look at those two." Sango gestured to the boys fighting over by the cart. The fight had escalated, and InuYasha was now throwing all the money that he'd had in his pockets on the ground, most-likely yelling at Miroku to take it if it was so fucking important, while the lecher was preparing to give his friend a swift slap on the head. The vendor looked like he didn't even want their money anymore. He probably would have paid them to leave, by this point. "They're block-heads, through and through. Common sense? Not their thing. Being idiots? Totally is."

"Oh, my gosh," Kagome laughed at the ridiculous scene across the street, throwing her head back with the joyous sound. "Why did we pick these ones, out of all the guys out there?"

"Why pick any guy?" Sango smirked. "They're all like this, in one way or another. Besides, putting up with us can't be that easy, either."

"Speak for yourself," Kagome winked. "I'm fabulous."

"Sure you are, hun," Sango laughed with her, ruffling her hair as Miroku and InuYasha's fight continued to play out on the other side of the road.

* * *

><p><strong>AN: ***Ahem* Where did that smut come from, you say? Well, perhaps Claire has been reading a little too much smut lately. :P Also, yes, there has been a time jump. One week plus a day from the last chapter. And yes, the thing about Seshums and the boy bands is still here and it's still ridiculous. :P Honestly, I really don't know what's wrong with me. So, I'll reply to unsigned reviews now, and do signed ones tomorrow, 'cause I really should not be up.

LiveInColor- Yeah, unfortunate trait of his. :P And to your second one, sorry! Been busy. Thanks for reviewing. :)

zariya- Oh my gosh, thank you! :D Major ego-inflating for me going on there. :P I try, I try. And no worries, many more chapters to come. :)

Anyway, I'm going to go now. I'd love to reach 200 reviews after this chapter. An early birthday present for me, please? :) It's on Friday, so most-likely the next time we meet I'll be 17 (finally!). Unless I update super fast, but, that probably won't happen. :P You can check my profile for info about updates if you'd like to know, and I will see you lovelies later! :)


	21. Devices and Confessions

**Disclaimer:** I don't own InuYasha. If I did, then I'd have money to go see all my oppadeul (and eonnideul).

**A/N:** WELL HI EVERYONE. IT'S ONLY BEEN WHAT, SIX MONTHS, GIVE OR TAKE A FEW DAYS? NO TIME AT ALL. Ahem...kidding. But you guys, I am so sorry. Things in my life are often rather insane, and also let's just say that I tend to obsess over many different things (once you go K-pop your life gets ruined). And, well, I just didn't have the inspiration for this. But for whatever reason tonight, I just like, sat down and pounded this out, which amazed me. It's only a little over 2,000 words, so not my usual standards, but honestly, I'm not going to withhold a chapter from you guys if it's not a certain length, especially since it's been this long. I want you guys to have updates, even if they're short. And please be aware that I will finish this. Even if it takes me forever I will. So, onto this chapter, which is basically me getting back in the swing of things. Not a lot of plot-development and kind of choppy, but most certainly better than nothing. And now I've had a bit more of a refresher, so next chapter should be back to more normal-ish. ^^ Enjoy!

* * *

><p><strong>As Day Turns to Night<strong>

**Chapter 21-Devices and Confessions**

InuYasha landed at the foot of the stairs with a thud – not surprising, since he had jumped down past the last few. He straightened up and yawned, stretching his arms above his head, then ran his hand through his mussed-up hair absentmindedly and meandered off to the kitchen. It was 12:37 on a Sunday, also known as 'breakfast time'.

He opened the cupboard doors eagerly, pulling back on the handles so hard they were almost torn off. Just as soon as they'd been ripped open, though, a frown graced InuYasha's face. He looked up, then down, then up again, then pushed some assorted cans of vegetables out of the way and… Fucking hell. He wasn't imagining things. There really was no ramen.

"Damn it," he swore softly to himself, standing still for a moment and breathing a defeated sigh. He hated doing this, but it looked like he would have to. There was simply no other choice.

In a few simple steps InuYasha was at the side of the refrigerator, staring down at his intended target. He crouched on the ground, swaying back and forth slightly as he centered his balance on the balls of his feet, and then reached out to one of the wooden floorboards with a chip in it. His nail hooked the chip, and using this for grip, he pulled the plank up carefully, concentrating on not dropping it. When it was up high enough, he grabbed the whole thing and hefted it to the side, now fully focused on his 'buried treasure'.

A satisfied grin replaced his frown as he reached into the depression, his hand clasping tightly around a circular foam cup and bringing it out triumphantly. He blew a bit of dust off the top of the ramen, rubbing at it with his navy shirtsleeve, and then looked into the dark hole once more, taking stock. This was the last of his stash; he'd have to remember to replenish it soon. And really remember this time, not like a few months ago, when he hadn't even had this option to fall back on. InuYasha shuddered visibly – dark times.

Walking over to the stove to start heating up some water, InuYasha's mind turned to the silver object currently buried in his desk drawer. That thing was ominous…horribly ominous. And someone had definitely been in the bushes, watching the two and then dropping it on his or her way out of there when InuYasha had noticed the prowler. If that person had been following them for a while, too, it would explain the feelings of being watched recently.

He stared down at the pot. What could that stupid little metal thing be, though?

Leaving the water he was heating behind, InuYasha sped up the stairs to his room and snatched the object from its resting spot quickly, returning to the kitchen as fast as he could so the house didn't burn down somehow. He glanced at the pot to make sure that everything was good and then set the thing on the counter, staring at to it.

What to do with it…what to do?

That was when he spied the meat tenderizer. A devilish idea took form in his head. He snatched it from its holding rack, and raised it up in his hand, positioning it over the metal device. Then…

BAM!

"Shit!" he yelled, ducking to avoid any bits of shrapnel that were suddenly flying his way. He could smell smoke in the air and metal shards were scattered all over the floor. This

wasn't good.

Then the smoke detector started beeping.

Then the pot started to boil over.

"Aww, fuck," InuYasha whined.

.~*~.

Sesshoumaru surveyed the scorch mark on the counter with distaste, but also a bit of wonder at the amount of destruction his half-brother had been able to reek. Just when he thought the boy couldn't top himself, he went and did it.

"How – exactly – did you manage this?"

"See, I found this weird metal thingy in the bushes yesterday, and I wanted to find out what it was, but I didn't know how to do that, _but then _I saw the meat tenderizer, and well…"

Sesshoumaru turned his head to glare at the upset teen. "So you actually thought beating it was a viable choice?"

"Well I didn't think the damn thing would explode!"

The older man shook his head and began devising a plan for the clean-up.

"Hey," InuYasha said suspiciously, "where have you been, anyway? I haven't seen you since yesterday."

Sesshoumaru's face grew a little less composed then. "Well…that's a bit of a long story."

.~*~.

"How did you find out where I live?" Rin screamed at Sesshoumaru as he stood at her door, his expression blank. She didn't know whether to be disturbed or excited. A combo was all right, she decided.

"Well, I asked Aika-chan, who asked Haruna-chan, who asked Manabu-kun–"

"Stop," she interrupted. "I get it."

Sesshoumaru nodded, pleased at the efficiency. "So, the poster."

Rin's face paled. "Oh…yeah…about that poster…."

The man caught on right after that. "You were lying."

"Um…just a little?"

He let out a labored sigh. "Rin, how could you? I was genuinely excited."

She blinked at him a few times. If he had been excited, he certainly did a good job at hiding it.

"I'm sorry," the girl mumbled, fiddling with her fingers. "I just really wanted you to come and you were rejecting everything else and I didn't know what else to do and it just kind of came out I'm sorry," she said without taking a breath.

Sesshoumaru seemed to think for a few moments. "Well…the least you could do is give me one of those Cokes. To make up for it, of course."

"Re–really?" Rin sputtered in amazement, not believing what she was hearing.

"It is impolite to make guests wait outside," was the only response Sesshoumaru gave her.

"Oh, yeah, of course, come in!" She opened the door wider, stepping out of the way and trying not to scream and flail her arms around at the situation she was in. And then she thought about how her house was an absolute mess. And then she flailed some more, but not from excitement this time.

.~*~.

"So, we ended up watching Arashi videos until we both fell asleep."

InuYasha stared at him for a moment. "Are you serious?" he blurted in astonishment. "What about when you changed?"

"I let her see. Rin would never tell. The girl's infatuated with me. Although I did regret it after when the cooing began."

"Fuck, you're weird," InuYasha muttered.

"I'm going to go get some acetone and order take-out," Sesshoumaru informed the other, ignoring what he had said.

.~*~.

"OH MY GOSH, DID YOU SEE THAT KID FACEPLANT?" Sango shrieked, managing to fall over onto her side even though she was sitting, her body shaking with laughter.

"Sango, dear, you are a horrible person," Miroku informed her, though he was laughing too.

InuYasha tried to stifle his amusement as Kagome sat there looking horrified, going on about that poor child who could have been hurt!

Sango kept rolling.

"Okay, we'll try to find a funny cat one or something for Kagome this time," Miroku suggested, scrolling through videos on the website as InuYasha reassured Kagome that the kid was fine.

"Ah, no no no!" Sango pushed him aside, getting up off the floor in record time. "Kagome, come here, I have to show you the teaser for this video! They're this boy band from Korea and they're going to be debuting here soon! They're all so cute!"

"Really?" Kagome asked interestedly, scampering over InuYasha to lie on her stomach in front of the computer with the other girl who was searching up the video.

"Oh, don't tell me you're into those boy bands like Sesshoumaru is, are you?" InuYasha scoffed, flopping onto his back.

"I am sorry but they are wonderful!" Sango snapped at him.

"Don't get into this with her," Miroku whispered into InuYasha's ear through clenched teeth. "She gets a little…crazy."

"How much crazier can she get?"

"Just trust me," the other boy advised, while the two girls squealed in the background and Sango informed Kagome that her favourite was the one with the glasses.

InuYasha stared with a pained expression on his face and Miroku sighed resignedly, being very, _very _used to this.

.~*~.

"Kagome?" InuYasha asked absentmindedly as he sat at his desk, fiddling with the remnants of the metal device.

"Mhm?" she intoned from where she was sprawled on the bed, her eyes closed and looking rather at peace.

"Do you think those guys are better-looking than me?"

She sat upright. "What?"

"Those guys from the boy band. Do you think they're better looking than me?"

Kagome stared at the back of his head since he hadn't turned around from whatever he was working on. His ears were twitching slightly on the top of his head. She noticed that they did that sometimes when he was nervous.

"No, of course not. I mean, they're cute – really cute – but I like you. A lot. 'A lot' a lot. "

"Okay. Just wondering."

"Aww, are you insecure?" A big smile broke over her face as she lathered on the syrup in her voice.

"No, you just seemed really excited over them and…and I wanted to know."

"Well, trust me," Kagome said, coming up behind the boy. "You're the cutest. Besides, they don't have ears like yours."

She chuckled when InuYasha grumbled, swear words barely audible under his breath.

"What are you working on?" she asked curiously, peering at what looked like circuit boards from a computer except extremely thin, colourful wires tangled around them.

"Just some parts for my laptop," he quickly covered, not wanting to tell Kagome about the possible…stalker? He wasn't sure what to call the person, but if he or she made things that exploded on his counter he was sure that the creeper was bad news.

"Oh," she replied dismissively, obviously not interested, and wandered back over to his bed. He figuratively wiped the sweat from his brow.

They sat in silence for a while, Kagome humming lowly under her breath and InuYasha trying to find anything more suspicious in the mess of parts that had been the insides of the suspicious object.

"InuYasha?" The girl broke the silence this time, the word hanging oddly loaded in the air.

"Yeah?"

"Um…you know, I don't want you to get the wrong idea from this–"

Oh god.

"–Or think anything bad because of it–"

_Oh god._

"–But I just want you to know that I'd maybe like to take this relationship a little…slower."

InuYasha turned around slowly in his chair. "What do you mean by that?" Fuck, it was totally code for breakup, wasn't it?

"I just mean that there are some things that I'm not necessarily too comfortable with, and I know you can't know that and I should say something when stuff like that comes up but it's hard and I don't want you to feel bad I just don't have that much experience and I get a little nervous when you start going farther than I expect you to or even really want to."

Kagome sucked in a big breath of air, having expelled it all with every word. It was amazing how much better she suddenly felt, though, like her chest had been stuffed with cotton and she hadn't even known it. Now the cotton was gone and she could breathe again. It was a weird relief she hadn't thought she would feel.

She looked up to find InuYasha peering over the edge of the bed at her, having managed to make his way across the room in moments with his lightning speed, his ears twitching and eyebrows knit in concern. "I'm sorry," he whispered. "I didn't mean to make you feel like that."

"It's not your fault," she said simply. "Like I said, you won't know unless I say anything. I just…don't like talking."

"Same," he agreed, his voice still quiet.

She smiled and fondled one of his ears. "Really, you're much cuter than them."

A little grin broke out onto his face. "Yeah?"

"Yeah," she said lightly, and kissed his nose.

* * *

><p><strong>AN: **I did manage to tie up some things from the last few chapters that I wanted to. Also, the Korean boy band they're talking about is SHINee (my favourite lol). The teaser for their Japan debut came out right when this story's supposed to be taking place (which I have realized is a year ago, and I started it a year ago, so that's crazy) and I just couldn't resist. OTL Um, and I don't know when I'll be able to get the next update out, as I do have about thirty things I'm working on (which is not an exaggeration) but I'm really going to try for you guys! And I'm going to try to respond to reviews and PMs now...though I can't remember if I've already responded to some or not. :S Oh well. I'll try.

And one last thing! If you guys want to ask me questions or beat me with a stick to update, you can go to my tumblr (snapcrackleandkpop), which is where I practically live, or my twitter (claireness77). They're both mainly used for K-pop things, but if you guys on tumblr have any good anime/manga blogs, let me know, because I'd like to follow some. I just don't know where to look. ^^;; So thank you, and I hope to update again soon!


End file.
